Given increasing evidence from international surveys that concern for the environment appears to be a worldwide phenomenon, the authors of this article were interested in conducting an in-depth analysis of environmental concerns, values and behavior in the Beijing and Detroit metropolitan areas. Because of the attention that has been given to the influences of dominant social values and neighborhood environmental context on environmental attitudes cross-nationally, the authors were especially interested in examining what impact these have. In so doing, they attempted to introduce several important innovations in their comparative study, including new measures of commitment to the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) and indicators of neighborhood environmental quality. Using face-to-face interviews with probability samples surveys of residents in the Beijing and Detroit metropolitan areas, the study also determined, from openended questions, people’s understandings of ‘the environment’ and ‘economic growth’ and the priority trade-offs between them that are often implied and debated. The analyses found striking similarities as well as differences in the two metropolitan areas.
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