Search

This study examines the relationship between income levels and pro-environmental behavior using a utility customer survey. Amid urgent environmental challenges like pollution and climate change, it investigates how household income influences such behavior. Respondents were divided into high-income (90% or above) and lower income (below 90%) groups. While results were inconclusive, indicating no significant inclination toward pro-environmental behavior in higher-income groups, commonalities in perceived behaviors were observed. Notable differences included larger household sizes, greater satisfaction with natural gas utilities, and longer residency among higher-income respondents. However, factors like age, political preferences, and utility satisfaction showed no significant disparity. Although the high-income group was slightly more inclined toward energy-saving measures, both groups prioritized energy conservation similarly. Income-related discrepancies in self-awareness regarding home efficiency compared to neighbors were negligible. This study augments existing research but suggests the necessity for further research across different jurisdictions and timeframes to measure income's impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inglehart developed a theory examining the changes of values in post-industrial societies from materialist towards post-materialist views. Inglehart contended that the rise of post-materialism helps explain the rise of environmentalism since the 1960s. Through a 2022 survey targeting individual utility customers, we employed Inglehart's post-materialist index examining the impact of environmental behavior and other attributes. This study considers demographic profiling for material and post-materialist views in light of recent social movements and inflationary pressures. We observed that materialists, predominately Asians and Whites, tend to be older, are homeowners, are either married or widowed, and have lived in their homes the longest. Post-materialists were also found to be young, partnered, politically liberal, and least likely to be Asian. While investigated, environmental behavior was not explained by any of the demographic characteristics. We suggest research assessing any value shifts pertaining to attitudes and behaviors towards environmental behavior. Future research should obtain a more representative minority-group sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]