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Ecological Citizens: Identifying Values and Beliefs that Support Individual Environmental Responsibility among Swedes

Author

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  • Sverker C. Jagers

    (Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 711, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden)

  • Simon Matti

    (Division of Political Science, Luleå University of Technology, SE 971 87 Luleå, Sweden)

Abstract

As it has been suggested that involvement of individuals in environmental work is necessary for halting environmental degradation, one focus for contemporary environmental policy and political theory is the need for comprehensive individual lifestyle changes. Ecological Citizenship (EC) has been suggested within the field of political theory as an approach to realize personal responsibility for the environment. However, empirical research on whether EC can serve this purpose is still lacking. Based on a survey sent to 4,000 Swedish households, this paper makes the theory of EC empirically operational and explores whether, and to what extent, people in general hold values and beliefs in line with what is expected of EC, in order to shed light on the feasibility of cultivating ecological citizens in Sweden. The study concludes that a significant proportion of the respondents do demonstrate a value base consistent with EC, i.e. , non-territorial altruism and the primacy of social justice. While additional tests and studies are needed, the results support the use of EC as a theoretical model for behavioral change.

Suggested Citation

  • Sverker C. Jagers & Simon Matti, 2010. "Ecological Citizens: Identifying Values and Beliefs that Support Individual Environmental Responsibility among Swedes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-25, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:2:y:2010:i:4:p:1055-1079:d:8010
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Libin Chen & Qi Wu & Lin Jiang, 2022. "Impact of Environmental Concern on Ecological Purchasing Behavior: The Moderating Effect of Prosociality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis & Demetra Paraskeva-Hadjichambi, 2020. "Environmental Citizenship Questionnaire (ECQ): The Development and Validation of an Evaluation Instrument for Secondary School Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-12, January.
    3. Erin Miller Hamilton & Apoorva Rane, 2022. "Speaking Their Language: Does Environmental Signage Align to Personal Dimensions of Environmentally Responsible Behavior in Undergraduate Residence Halls?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-23, February.
    4. M Ángeles de las Heras Pérez & Bartolomé Vázquez Bernal & Rocío Jiménez Palacios & Roque Jiménez Pérez, 2021. "Environmental Citizenship Education through the Doñana, Biodiversity and Culture Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Yiannis Georgiou & Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis & Demetra Hadjichambi, 2021. "Teachers’ Perceptions on Environmental Citizenship: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-29, March.
    6. Sverker C. Jagers & Erick Lachapelle & Johan Martinsson & Simon Matti, 2021. "Bridging the ideological gap? How fairness perceptions mediate the effect of revenue recycling on public support for carbon taxes in the United States, Canada and Germany," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 38(5), pages 529-554, September.
    7. Caterina Giannetti & Pietro Guarnieri & Tommaso Luzzati, 2021. "Pro-environmental attitude and behaviours: an investigation on the role of pro-sociality," Discussion Papers 2021/269, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
    8. Piyapong Janmaimool & Surapong Chudech, 2020. "Effect of Domestic and Global Environmental Events on Environmental Concern and Environmental Responsibility among University Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-20, February.
    9. Niklas Harring & Sverker C. Jagers & Simon Matti, 2017. "Public Support for Pro-Environmental Policy Measures: Examining the Impact of Personal Values and Ideology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-14, April.
    10. Hunter, Erik & Röös, Elin, 2016. "Fear of climate change consequences and predictors of intentions to alter meat consumption," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 151-160.

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