1. Being green in a green capital: Assessing drivers of pro-environmental behaviors in Copenhagen.
- Author
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Smiley, Kevin T., Chen, Yu-An, and Shao, Wanyun
- Subjects
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CLIMATE change , *SUSTAINABILITY , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *CLIMATE change mitigation , *URBAN policy - Abstract
What makes one green in a green capital? Previous research on actions to combat climate change using large national samples identifies how socio-demographic attributes and attitudes and belief profiles condition an individual's propensity to take actions to improve the environment. Our approach investigates a smaller and more specific context – Copenhagen, Denmark – to unlock pathways that animate individuals to combat climate change in a city considered to be one of the world's greenest. Using a survey of approximately 1000 Copenhageners, we compare socio-demographic characteristics with attitudinal and belief profiles to see how each explanation predicts four pro-environmental behaviors. We find that attitudes and beliefs, especially with environmental concern and political ideology, tend to be more associated with pro-environmental behaviors compared to socio-demographic characteristics. We conclude by discussing how even in the context of a green capital, familiar pathways to pro-environmental actions are found. • Urban sustainable futures require individuals to combat climate change. • Pro-environmental behaviors are relatively high in Copenhagen. • Political divides found in uptake of pro-environmental behaviors. • Environmental concern and gender also divide levels of pro-environmental behaviors. • Implications center on challenges of urban environmental policy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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