Linking Society and Environment: A Multilevel Model of Shifting Wildlife Value Orientations in the Western United States^*

Abstract

Objective. Studies of attitudes and values can make important contributions to emerging multi‐level, interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problems. We test a multi‐level model using data from a 19‐state study on public thoughts toward wildlife in the western United States. Methods. Data were collected via mail survey administered to residents in each state. Results. Data support (1) a micro model that proposes values are oriented by two contrasting ideologies—domination versus mutualism—and that these different value orientations lead to different attitudes and behaviors toward wildlife; and (2) a macro model that links forces of modernization (income, education, urbanization) to a population‐level shift from domination to mutualism value orientations. Conclusions. Such a shift would stimulate behavioral, ecological, and institutional effects that are critical in shaping society‐environment interactions. Findings suggest that examining human thought processes in relation to broader social and environmental factors holds great promise in extending the application of the social sciences.