The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: Have They Changed Over Time?¹

TLDR

Environmental concern has been theorized to either broaden across the population or to wane among the economically deprived during downturns. The study tests two hypotheses about changes in the sociopolitical correlates of environmental concern using data from the NORC General Social Surveys (1973–1990). Data from the National Opinion Research Center's General Social Surveys spanning 1973–1990 were analyzed to examine these hypotheses. Analysis over 18 years found no support for either hypothesis, revealing that the social bases of environmental concern remained stable, with younger adults, the well‑educated, liberals, Democrats, urban residents, and non‑primary industry workers consistently more supportive.

Abstract

Abstract Using data obtained from National Opinion Research Center's General Social Surveys (1973–1990), this paper tests two hypotheses concerning possible changes in the sociopolitical correlates of environmental concern. The “broadening base” hypothesis predicts that environmental concern will diffuse throughout the populace, resulting in a broader base of support for environmental protection, while the “economic contingency” hypothesis predicts that the economically deprived will disproportionately withdraw support for environmental protection during poor economic conditions. Analysis of the data over the 18 years, however, failed to lend any clear support for either of the hypotheses. In marked contrast, results indicate that the social bases of environmental concern—at least as measured by the NORC environmental spending item—have remained remarkably stable over nearly two decades despite fluctuating economic, political, and environmental conditions. Younger adults, the well‐educated, political liberals, Democrats, those raised and currently living in urban areas, and those employed outside of primary industries were found to be consistently more supportive of environmental protection than were their respective counterparts.