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The Varied Influence of SES on Environmental Concern

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  • Fred C. Pampel

Abstract

type="main"> Cross-national studies have found positive relationships of socioeconomic status (SES) with environmental concern at the individual level but have not systematically examined how the relationships may differ across nations. Such comparisons have relevance to identifying the generality of theories of postmaterialism, affluence, and global environmentalism. This study specifies how the individual-level influence of SES varies across national contexts and tests predictions using four waves of the World Values Survey on up to 96 nations. The results show that SES is associated only weakly with environmental concern in lower income nations with poor environmental conditions but is associated strongly and positively in higher income nations with better environmental conditions. SES has a contingent relationship with environmental concern such that the global environmentalism theory receives support for lower income nations, while the postmaterialism and affluence theories receive support for higher income nations.

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  • Fred C. Pampel, 2014. "The Varied Influence of SES on Environmental Concern," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(1), pages 57-75, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:95:y:2014:i:1:p:57-75
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ssqu.12045
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    1. Sandra T. Marquart‐Pyatt, 2008. "Are There Similar Sources of Environmental Concern? Comparing Industrialized Countries," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(5), pages 1312-1335, December.
    2. Gene M. Grossman & Alan B. Krueger, 1995. "Economic Growth and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 353-377.
    3. Axel Franzen, 2003. "Environmental Attitudes in International Comparison: An Analysis of the ISSP Surveys 1993 and 2000," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 84(2), pages 297-308, June.
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