Measures Of Environmental Concern Research Articles

Role of Worry and Attitude in Determining Pro Environment Behaviour in Young Indians

The relation between ever increasing population and consumption habits with accelerated deterioration of environment is well established. Lifestyle and consumption patterns impact environment in a direct and indirect way by putting demands on production process. With climate change becoming critical in recent years, studying environment attitudes and behaviours has become important. Addressing environmental crisis at local or global level also call for studying fundamental attitudes and emotions that shape pro-environment behaviour. The goal of this paper is to study the (1) impact of environmental concern and worry on pro-environment behaviour and to (2) evaluate differences on the basis of education and gender. Based on the sample of 190 young individuals, measures of environmental concern, worry and PEB will be used to find the correlation, regression and group differences.

The Continuum of Eco-Anxiety Responses: A Preliminary Investigation of Its Nomological Network

In the face of mounting environmental issues, people around the world are reporting the experience of difficult emotions such as anxiety and worry, or what is increasingly referred to as eco-anxiety. It is often acknowledged that symptoms of eco-anxiety can range in severity or fall along a continuum. Such a proposition has important implications, as it may help to explain why some forms of eco-anxiety are more mal(adaptive) than others. In five studies (Total N = 2939) across three countries (Canada, China, United Kingdom), we examined how measures that may encompass a continuum of environment-related worry and anxiety were associated with each other and with measures of environmental concern, an older concept that may capture the less severe end of eco-anxiety responses. We also explored if these various measures were differentially linked to aspects of mental health and a pro-environmental orientation. Results revealed that measures of eco-anxiety and environmental concern were often moderately-strongly correlated. Eco-anxiety measures exhibited relatively consistent relationships with greater ill-being but mixed relationships with indices of well-being. There was some evidence of more severe eco-anxiety measures being associated with poorer mental health and environmental concern measures being associated with better mental health. Measures of both eco-anxiety and environmental concern evidenced larger and more consistent relationships with indices of a pro-environmental orientation, with the most severe eco-anxiety measure exhibiting some notably weaker relationships. Together, the present work provides preliminary insights into the nomological network of the continuum of eco-anxiety responses and its integration into future work on eco-anxiety.

Does a National Park Enhance the Environment-Friendliness of Tourists as an Ecotourism Destination?

Governments have designated national parks to protect the natural environment against ecosystem destruction and improve individuals’ emotional and recreational life. National parks enhance environment-friendly awareness by conducting ecotourism activities and individuals with environment-friendly awareness are inclined to continue to visit national parks as ecotourism destinations. The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) is a widely used measure of environmental concern, suitable for measuring the environment-friendly attitude and revisit intention of visitors of national parks. Therefore, the study carried out structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationship between the NEP, national park conservation consciousness and environment-friendly behavioral intention. Based on the results, an implication is presented to induce national parks to cultivate individual environment-friendly awareness and for visitors to pursue sustainable, environment-friendly tourism behavior. The findings indicate that national parks are to expand educational programs and facilities for eco-tourists visiting national parks to maintain a balanced relationship between themselves and nature and have a strong environmental awareness to preserve the natural environment.

Hispanics’ Behavioral Intentions Toward Energy Conservation: The Role of Sociodemographic, Informational, and Attitudinal Variables

ObjectivesThis study is aimed at examining energy‐related behavioral intention among Hispanics in the United States. It examines the role of nationality and geographic location, as well as informational and attitudinal factors.MethodThe study used survey data from the University of Texas at Austin Energy Poll. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and regressions analysis.ResultsResults show that Hispanics overall in the West had higher levels of intention to save energy than those in any other region, while there is no clear pattern indicating that intentions to save energy were linked to Hispanics' ethnic groups. Besides information dissemination and various measures of environmental concern, belief and interest were strongly related to energy‐related behavioral intentions.ConclusionsFindings contribute to the understanding of Hispanics’ energy behaviors, concluding that environmentalism and information dissemination are important predictors of behavioral intention within the Hispanic population.

The power of connections: Psychological sense of community as a predictor of volunteerism

ABSTRACTTwo studies explored psychological antecedents of volunteerism, including several dispositional constructs and psychological sense of community (PSOC). In Study 1, 140 retirees completed measures of empathy, self-esteem, generativity, and PSOC, as well as involvement in volunteer organizations and weekly volunteering hours at two points in time. PSOC predicted concurrent and future volunteerism even after controlling for the other predictors. In Study 2 (n = 427), PSOC and measures of environmental concern and connectedness were used to predict current environmental volunteerism and activism. PSOC was the only measure reliably and uniquely related to these behaviors. Across two different domains and operationalizations of PSOC, the findings support the validity and utility of PSOC for understanding general and issue-specific volunteerism. More generally, they highlight social relationships and psychological connections as potential pathways to volunteerism and social action.

Environmental Concern Over Time: Evidence from the Longitudinal Analysis of a British Cohort Study from 1991 to 2008*

ObjectiveWe examined whether and how levels of environmental concern (EC) changed over time in the United Kingdom, from 1991 to 2008–2009, as well as how EC relates to socioeconomic characteristics across this same timeframe.MethodsUsing item response theory models on the last three sweeps of the British National Child Development Study 1958, we evaluated a measure of EC. Then, using latent growth curve models (LGCMs) we estimated the pattern of change for EC across time. Finally, theoretically relevant sociodemographic characteristics were introduced as covariates into the LGCM.ResultsWe found a small but significant downfall of the mean level of EC over time, with individual‐level values displaying higher dispersion in 2008–2009 against the previous sweeps of data. We also found that political orientation has significant effects on the outcome and on its changes across time.ConclusionsHypotheses regarding the influence of interest in politics and voting choices on EC are supported. The increasing variance of EC over time warrants further investigation.

Startle Eyeblink Modulation as a Measure of Environmental Concern

Event Abstract Back to Event Startle Eyeblink Modulation as a Measure of Environmental Concern Royce Willis1* and Stephen Provost1 1 Southern Cross University, Australia Aims: Fear appeals seek to elicit behaviour designed to reduce negative affective associated with certain images and the thoughts which they engender. They are widely employed in efforts to encourage environmentally sustainable behaviour. The success of fear appeal depends upon whether the images employed elicit negative affect in the target group. Subjective reporting may not provide accurate information on which to base intervention decisions for a variety of reasons, including social desirability. The startle eye-blink modulation paradigm is founded on evidence showing that startles are inhibited by pleasant stimuli and facilitated by unpleasant stimuli, enabling the measurement of attitudes in a number of social domains. The present study was designed to provide initial evidence for its utility in assessing stimuli relevant to environmentally sustainable action. Method: Nineteen participants completed an environmental concern questionnaire. Participants then viewed environmentally positive, environmentally negative, and neutral images (5 seconds in duration each) prior to startle elicitation by 50 milliseconds of white noise at 95 decibels, presented 3.5 seconds after image onset. Results: Positive environmental images resulted in suppression of eyeblink startle responses, relative to neutral pictures, as anticipated. However, negative environmental images also resulted in smaller eyeblink startle responses. The size of this suppressive effect for both types of images correlated with the environmental concern scale. Eyeblink startle elicited during neutral stimuli was negatively correlated with environmental concern scores. Conclusions: The influence of environmental images on eyeblink suppression is complex. Further research including unambiguously valenced pictorial cues is needed to determine the likely value of such images in fear appeals. The relation between environmental concern and eyeblink startle to neutral stimuli, though unexpected, is consistent with reports of similar effects obtained with respect to, for example, political conservatism. These data thus suggest possible links between environmental attitudes and other dimensions of social concern. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Prof. Lesley Christidis, Prof. Robert P. O’Shea, Urte Roeber, and Duncan Blair for their contributions. Keywords: startle eyeblink modulation, startle reflex modulation, environmental concern, Electromyographic (EMG), attitude measurement, physiological measurement Conference: ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Wollongong, Australia, 20 Nov - 22 Nov, 2013. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Emotion Citation: Willis R and Provost S (2013). Startle Eyeblink Modulation as a Measure of Environmental Concern. Conference Abstract: ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.213.00050 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 05 Nov 2013; Published Online: 05 Nov 2013. * Correspondence: Mr. Royce Willis, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, Australia, vourne@hotmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Royce Willis Stephen Provost Google Royce Willis Stephen Provost Google Scholar Royce Willis Stephen Provost PubMed Royce Willis Stephen Provost Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Environmental Concerns in Cross-National Context: How Do Mass Publics in Central and Eastern Europe Compare with Other Regions of the World?

Research examining the globalisation of environmental concern shown in public opinion surveys is currently underspecifi ed, as the coun- tries in Central and Eastern Europe are not explicitly showcased in empiri- cal research. To address this gap in the literature, this research examines two measures of environmental concern, awareness of environmental threats and willingness to sacrifi ce, emphasising former state socialist countries both in comparison with countries around the globe and across countries located within this regional block. Results reveal that Central and Eastern European countries exhibit unique qualities regarding the content of environmental concern, and that, although the determinants of environmental threat aware- ness differ to some extent within this region, the social bases of willingness to sacrifi ce are strikingly similar across the six former state socialist countries in this sample. These results extend prior research and offer important direc- tions for future scholarship.

The Globalization of Environmental Concern and The Limits of The Postmaterialist Values Explanation: Evidence from Four Multinational Surveys

Conventional wisdom has long held that widespread citizen concern for environmental quality is limited to wealthy nations. Both academics and policymakers assume that residents of poor nations are too preoccupied with satisfying their “material” needs to support the “postmaterialist” value of environmental protection. This view was challenged by results of Gallup's 24-nation “Health of the Planet” (HOP) survey conducted in 1992, as the HOP found highly inconsistent and often negative correlations between national affluence and environmental concern. The current article compares results from three waves of the “World Values Survey” (WVS) to those of the HOP. When appropriate measures of environmental concern are employed, the WVS results generally replicate those of the HOP, as in all three waves such concern correlates inconsistently with national affluence. The overall results suggest that citizen concern for the environment is not dependent on national affluence, nor on affluence-based postmaterialist values.

Concern for the Environment Among General Publics: A Cross-National Study

Concern for the environment has been noted in recent decades as a global phenomenon that is present among general publics in regions around the world. Though a topic of emerging interest, at present, assessments of environmental concern cross-nationally do not provide definitive evidence as to whether similar levels of environmental concern are identifiable across mass publics and whether its underpinnings are similar across national contexts. This research compares concern for the environment across 15 countries, examining the role of measurement cross-nationally. I demonstrate that different rankings of general publics can be distinguished with regard to different measures of environmental concern. I also examine demographic factors typically associated with the expression of environmental concern to determine their cross-national comparability. Results demonstrate that the measurement of environmental concern matters, both in terms of describing its composition in different countries and in identifying its underpinnings in this sample of countries.

Who Cares and Who Acts?

The relationship between a person's level of environmental concern/behavior and his or her participation in outdoor recreation has been a matter of study for approximately 25 years. However, previous research, primarily using correlation techniques on local/state data, provides only weak or inconsistent results. The authors use a nationally representative sample and probability models to reanalyze this issue. The results support the idea that participation in outdoor recreation is positively associated with environmental concern/behavior. In addition, the level of concern/behavior depends on the type of recreational activity. However, the relative effects of the different recreation activities differ across the measures of environmental concern and behavior. Thus, the idea that the direction of the effects is consistent across alternative measures is not supported.

Natural Capitalists: Increasing Business Students’ Environmental Sensitivity

Recently, management educators have proposed that colleges of business should enrich their curricula with environmental topics. However, there has been little research assessing how environmental materials affect business students. In this study, the authors examine the effect of a required course using six different measures of environmental concern. They found that business students expressed greater levels of environmental concern on each of the six measures at the end of this course. The authors discuss these results given the proposals to include environmental topics in business courses and suggest how to incorporate environmental materials into these courses.

Research Note: Adolescents' perceptions of food chemical risks

A questionnaire measuring attitude towards four categories of food chemicals (colourings, flavourings, pesticides and fertilizers), level of concern for the environment, dietary habits and reasons for food choice was administered to 932 high school students aged 12-15 years during regular classroom periods. Students also indicated whether they could recall classroom teaching on 15 food and health related issues. Scores were derived representing self-reported frequency of eating (a) foods that were high in fat, or (b) fresh fruits and vegetables. Along with a measure of environmental concern, these were entered as covariates in the analysis of attitudes towards the different classes of additives. Age and gender had little effect on these attitudes. However, more positive attitudes towards both colourings and flavourings were associated with more frequent consumption of 'fat' foods and less frequent consumption of 'fresh' foods. Those with higher 'fat' diets also evaluated the use of pesticides more positively, whereas those expressing greater environmental concern were more opposed to flavourings, fertilizers and (marginally) pesticides. With regard to reasons for food choice, those with higher 'fat' and lower 'fresh' diets appeared to place more weight on pleasure than on nutritional information, whereas those higher on environmental concern paid more attention to labelling and food value. Older students were more able to choose their own diet, but attended less to the health value of the foods they chose, and expressed less trust in food labelling and government control. These findings suggest that judgements of risk are guided by evaluative associations, derived partly from more general attitudes and previous behaviour.

The New Ecological Paradigm in Social-Psychological Context

The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is the most frequently used measure of environmental concern, but it has not been placed in the context of a social-psychological theory of attitude formation or attitude-behavior relationships. Using data from a northern Virginia sample, this study examines NEP in relation to the variables in a theoretical model of environmental concern. We found that the NEP is indistinguishable from a scale of awareness of consequences (AC) of general environmental conditions, both psychometrically and in terms of its relations to behavioral intentions, but somewhat different in its relations to basic value orientations and sociodemographic variables. We conclude that both NEP and AC measure generalized beliefs about the nature of human-environment interactions-or "folk ecology"—a set of beliefs that may be influenced by social structure and values and that influence attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral intentions regarding specific environmental conditions.

Regional differences in the sociodemographic determinants of environmental concern

This study assesses the influence of sociodemographic variables on four distinct measures of environmental concern in a sample of 2,984 households in 19 metropolitan areas of the United States. In addition, the potential for regional interactions is investigated. Results of the study indicate that, while geographic region does not appear to have consistent additive effects, it does interact with other sociodemographic variables to influence environmental concern. These regional interactions draw attention to many of the problems involved with comparisons across studies and may shed light on what are often considered to be discrepant findings in the literature on environmental concern.

Environmental Concern and Situational Communication Theory: Implications for Communicating With Environmental Publics

Public relations practitioners will find Grunig's situational communication theory to be a useful tool for identifying environmental publics and their orientations toward specific environmental issues. The research reported here explores the utility of Van Liere and Dunlap's (1981) measure of environmental concern in differentiating situational publics. The data were collected by telephone survey from 1,002 adult respondents. Members of the routine public did not perceive environmental issues to be a problem because they favored economic development over concern for the environment. The fatalistic public reported watching television news about pollution and held a pro-environmental attitude. Problem recognition provided a cognitive measure of environmental awareness and was consistently associated with communication behavior. Level of involvement and environmental concern provided attitudinal measures of the respondent's orientation toward environmental issues; however, these variables were not consistent...