Do environmental preferences in wealthy nations persist in times of crisis? The European environmental attitudes (2008-2017)

Cotta Benedetta,Memoli Vincenzo

doi:10.1017/ipo.2019.3

Abstract

AbstractHow do economic recessions affect European citizens’ attitudes towards environmental policies? In this article we investigate the attitudes of European citizens towards environmental protection considering its importance both at individual and country levels and adopting a longitudinal view. In light of the existing research on the link between pro-environmental attitudes and economic affluence of societies, including Ronald Inglehart’s theory of post-materialism, we hypothesise that levels of economic well-being as well as trust in political institutions are important drivers of Europeans’ attitudes towards environmental protection. Taking into consideration some macroeconomic indicators and the environmental attitude of public opinion, our main results show that even in time of crises, citizens’ pro-environmental attitudes persist in terms of importance, both at country and individual levels.

Highlights

On 21 June 2018, the Euro-group that coordinates the European Union (EU) member states’ adoption of the euro currency agreed to phase out financial aid to Greece, which posed an end to the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone countries (The Guardian, 2018)
In the 1990s, the promotion of European environmental legislation was constrained by the reluctance of some EU member states to adopt the objectives contained in the Fifth Environmental Action Programme, as well as by the ‘pending economic crisis and the difficulties in ratifying the Maastricht Treaty’ (Hey, 2005: 24)
If we focus on Inglehart’s assumptions that environmental protection is a ‘higher-order quality of life value’, which is generally addressed with economic prosperity and when civil liberties and democratic participation are assured, it is possible to identify two factors – economic well-being and trust in political institutions – which we hypothesise to be important determinants of the attitudes and preferences of European citizens’ in this period of global crises

Summary

Introduction

On 21 June 2018, the Euro-group that coordinates the European Union (EU) member states’ adoption of the euro currency agreed to phase out financial aid to Greece, which posed an end to the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone countries (The Guardian, 2018). This decision marks an important step in the recent history of the EU, since the global crises of 2008. We examine the citizens’ attitudes of the EU member states on environmental protection, considered as a leading concern of EU’s policy-making (see Zito, 2005; Kelemen and Vogel, 2010)

Benedetta Cotta and Vincenzo Memoli

Conclusions

Findings

21. Brussels