The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: A Review of Hypotheses, Explanations and Empirical Evidence
1980/01/01 by Kent D. Van Liere, Riley E. Dunlap · 1,645 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Environmental Science · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Empirical evidence #Empirical research #Environmental Education and Sustainability #Environmental Sustainability in Business #Epistemology #Psychology #Quality (philosophy) #Risk Perception and Management #Social psychology
paper · doi:10.1086/268583
published in Public Opinion Quarterly 44(2), 181 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 1980/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract
This paper reports an evaluation of existing knowledge regarding the social bases of public concern with environmental quality. First, five popular hypotheses asserting relationships between environmental concern and eight demographic and social variables are reviewed, with particular attention paid to the theoretical explanations offered in support of each hypothesized relationship. Second, the results of 21 relevant studies are evaluated to determine the degree to which the empirical evidence supports the hypothesized relationships. Third, implications of the results of the review for future research are discussed.
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