A questionnaire designed to examine levels of environmental consciousness was distributed to a sample of approximately 300 individuals. The results show a high level of concern for environmental issues and a high proportion of the sample describing themselves as environmentalists. The pattern is fairly consistent by sex, age, and ethnic grouping. But closer analysis suggests caution before concluding that there is a high level of environmental consciousness in the United States.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Brown, L. R. , Durning, A., Flavin, C., French, H., Jacobson, J., Lenssen, N., Lowe, M., Postel, S., Renner, M., Ryan, J., Starke, L., & Young, J. (1991). State of the World 1991: A Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society. New York: Norton.
2.
Buttel, F. H. , & Flinn, W. L. (1974). The structure of support for the environmental movement: 1968-70. Rural Sociology, 39, 56-69.
3.
Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
4.
Denzin, N. K. (1989). The research act. (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
5.
Downs, A. (1972). Up and down with ecology-the "issue-attention cycle."Public Interest, 28, 38-50.
6.
Eckberg, D. L. , & Blocker, T. J. (1989). Varieties of religious involvement and environmental concerns: Testing the Lynn White thesis. Journal for Scientific Study of Religion, 28, 509-517.
7.
Feldman, S. (1988). Structure and consistency in public opinion: The role of core beliefs and values. American Journal of Political Science, 32, 416-440.
8.
Fortmann, L. , & Kusel, J. (1990). New voices, old beliefs: Forest environmentalism among new and long-standing rural residents. Rural Sociology, 55, 214-232.
9.
Gallup, G., Jr. (1991). The Gallup Poll: Public opinion, 1990. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources, Inc.
10.
Grove, R. H. (1992, July). Origins of Western environmentalism. Scientific American, pp. 42-47.
11.
Grieshop, J. I. , & Stiles, M. C. (1989). Risk and home-pesticide users. Environment and Behavior, 21, 699-716.
12.
Gunter, V. J. , & Finlay, B. (1988). Influences in group participation in environmental conflicts. Rural Sociology, 53, 498-505.
13.
Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. Science, 163, 1243-1248.
14.
Harris, L. , & Associates. (1989). The rising tide: Public opinion, policy, & politics. Report prepared for the Sierra Club. Washington, DC: Sierra Club Publishers.
15.
Ladd, A. E. (1990). The solid waste crisis and support for recycling: A research note. Sociological Spectrum, 10, 469-484.
16.
Lipsey, M. W. (1977). Attitudes toward the environment and pollution. In S. Oskamp (Ed.), Attitudes and opinions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
17.
Mohai, P. , & Bryant, B. (1992). Race, poverty, and the environment. EPA Journal, 18, 6-8.
18.
Morrow, L. (1991). A nation of finger pointers. Time, August 12, pp. 14-18.
19.
Oskamp, S. (Ed.). (1977). Attitudes and opinions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
20.
Oskamp, S. , Cameron, C., Lipsey, M. W., Mindick, B., & Weissbach, T. (1991). Factors influencing household recycling behavior. Environment and Behavior, 23, 494-519.
21.
Phillips, D. L. (1971). Knowledge from what: Theories and methods in social research. New York: Rand-McNally.
22.
Roper Organization . (1990). The environment: Public attitudes and individual behavior. New York: Author.
23.
Van Liere, K. D. , & Dunlap, R. E. (1981). Environmental concern: Does it make a difference how it's measured?Environment and Behavior, 13, 651-676.