Political values and socialization in environmental movements

Abstract

In this chapter we provide an overview of political values and socialization as applied to the environmental movement. We begin by considering some ways in which the environmental movement might be mapped and provide some empirical examples using survey data. Next, we review several theoretical perspectives that focus on values and related phenomena as explanations for environmentalism and other forms of social movement activity. Specifically, we review post-materialist values, the New Ecological Paradigm scale, and the conservatism-liberalism dimension. We also examine the values-belief-norms theory approach. Utilizing survey data collected in Canada on members/supporters of the environmental movement and the general public, we empirically explore the relationship of these values, beliefs, and ideologies to various facets of environmentalism, including environmental social movement organization affiliation, identification with the environmental movement, environmental activism, and environmentally friendly behavior. Finally, we provide a critical discussion of key issues regarding conceptualizing, measuring, and modeling values in the context of the environmental movement.