Environmental Justice: Examining the Social Bases of Environmental Concern in an African American Community

Abstract

Environmental degradation plagues many communities across the globe. The knowledge of environmental justice has increased and people are more aware of communities under siege than ever before but still depressed communities of color and the poor borne environmental contamination. This study focused on measuring perceptions of environmental concerns in a black community. An examination of social demographic variables among blacks was to see if black residents differ among themselves and whether the results were consistent with findings in the general population. Results show that blacks in general are concerned but that Democrats, males, and older people are more concerned than Republicans, females and younger people. Also, the level of education and income was found not statistical significant and did not have an effect on blacks' level of environmental concern.