(Mis) perception of environmental laws: Modeling challenges based on information source preferences

Abstract

The role of information is critical in how societies handle complex issues, such as environmental policies. However, the global prevalence of low-quality sources has a significant impact on societal perception. Within this scenario, Brazil may represent a useful model case with recent policy changes aiming to reduce government control on environmental impacts. The 2022 debate surrounding the 3729/2004 bill serves as an example of pressures to diminish the efficiency of the environmental licensing process. Here we assessed how socioeconomic aspects affect the public interest in the theme and its preferences for information sources. Moreover, we evaluated the effect of these sources on the perception of environmental law regarding the licensing process and this particular Bill. We interviewed 2052 people by an opt-in online survey all over Brazil, generating 415 records suitable for analysis. We build a structural equation model to understand the relationship between the latent variables (Knowledge, Interest, Preferred Media Sources, and Importance) and the Bill. Our results show that the respondent's interest in the Bill is concentrated in this society's academic and high-income portion. However, the subject is not a significant thread on any media. Academic media (peer-reviewed) has a positive effect on knowledge and the importance given to the theme. However, we observed a higher likelihood of unreliable responses when respondents expressed a preference for academic media. Moreover, the public prefers social media platforms, coworker information exchanges, and websites over than academic media to inform themselves about Bill 3729/2004 and environmental licensing. We further discuss the importance of scientific communication to avoid the concentration of knowledge about this theme in a bubble of wealthy or highly educated respondents. We conclude that the active participation of academics in the general community may give the general public the basic information needed to make them an active voice in the policymaking process.