Abstract
ABSTRACT Evidence is presented of how the Great Recession affected prioritisation of environmental protection. World Values Survey data from both before the recession’s onset and its aftermath shows that increases in unemployment rates had significant, negative effects upon prioritisation of environmental protection while changing growth rates or gross domestic product (GDP) had none. These results hold not only among advanced industrial democracies, but also generalise to Latin American countries. Additionally, the findings offer no evidence that the recession changed the way in which individual wealth relates to the prioritisation of environmental protection. As a strong environmental public opinion is an important factor in the successful implementation of environmental policy, the findings suggest that, if policymakers wish to maintain public support for implementing environmental protection measures, they should prioritise low unemployment over economic growth.
Highlights
The Great Recession of 2008 was unprecedented in both its suddenness and its scale
I sought to test whether dramatically worsening economic circumstances may have been responsible for a deterioration in environmental protections preferences – and, if so, which economic indicator they were most sensitive to – and whether the recession altered the way in which income levels relate to support for environmental protection
While the results demonstrate a lack of an effect between changing growth levels or gross domestic product (GDP) PPP PC and environmental protection prioritisation, they show an extremely strong and robust relationship at the aggregate level between decreases in such support and increasing unemployment levels
Summary
The Great Recession of 2008 was unprecedented in both its suddenness and its scale. Comparable to the Great Depression (Almunia et al 2010), it resulted in a dramatic decline in economic fortunes at both the individual and country levels creating a vicious circle in which reduced consumer demand and lower production went hand-in-hand and unemployment spiralled. I limit the countries I use to those in Western Europe (Cyprus, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden), Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay), North America (Mexico, United States), Australasia (Australia, New Zealand), plus a small number of Asian countries (Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea) These are countries where awareness of global warming and climate change is almost universal, which is not the case in Africa and most of Asia (Pugliese and Ray 2009, Lee et al 2015); Rohrschneider et al (2014) demonstrated that increased affluence in traditionally low-income countries in the sample facilitated the emergence of a similar environmental attitudes structure between them which permits comparative analysis. Each of these countries has been included in both waves
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
