The Politics of Environmental Concern

Abstract

The literature on the political context of the environmental movement entertains the competing hypotheses that environmentalism either transcends or embodies the traditional left-right cleavages in American society. Findings from a statewide survey in Wisconsin indicate substantial relationships between sociopolitical ideologies and support for environmental reform. These relationships were most pronounced among the college-educated stratum. Liberalism vis-h-vis laissez-faire politics was the political ideology variable most closely related to environmental concern. This reflects the obvious empirical reality that the environmental movement has been primarily concerned with controlling private natural resource decision-making. Nevertheless, there is a substantial correlation between welfare-state liberalism and environmental concern which seems important due to the tendency of environmental reforms to have inegalitarian consequences. In spite of major associations between political ideology and environmental attitudes, Republicans and Democrats did not differ greatly in environmental concern. Implications of the findings for the future politics of environmental policy quality In the United States are discussed.