The sociological and attitudinal bases of environmentally-related beliefs and behaviour in Britain

Summary

Whilst environmental issues are now a prominent part of the public
policy agenda in Britain, less attention has been paid to the factors
shaping contemporary public concern for the environment. The sources of environmentally-related beliefs and behaviours in contemporary British public opinion are assessed, using data from the British Household Panel
Survey 2008-9. Exploratory data reduction analysis is undertaken on
multiple indicators of environmental concern. Two multi-item scales
relating to the perceived impacts of climate change and consumer
behaviours are examined. Linear regression analysis shows that
sociological and attitudinal factors have similar effects on beliefs and
behaviour. The sociological factors showing consistent effects are
gender, age, religious salience and education. Attitudinally, there are
broadly consistent effects for partisanship and political engagement.
The effects of other variables differ across beliefs and behaviours.