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Worldwide, great efforts are being made in order to establish sustainable development at all levels. European Union (EU) member states are obliged to meet the requirements in the area of environmental protection. In this paper, the authors conducted a comparative study of environmental attitudes among young people from both EU transition countries and EU candidate countries. The objective was to determine the differences in environmental attitudes, environmental awareness and self-efficacy of the youth from these two groups of countries and the EU environmental policy implementation level. Results indicated that the influence of EU membership exists when it comes to the environmental attitudes of youth from the analyzed countries. Average values showed the unsatisfactory situation regarding environmental awareness and self-efficacy of respondents. In order to define the relations among environmental attitudes, selfefficacy and environmental awareness, a structural model was created. This analysis showed that these three components work the same way in both groups of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science is increasingly popular for educating and engaging the public, but few studies test how to achieve individual outcomes including knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, particularly in the Global South. We operationalize the citizen science participation-behavior model for a hydrologic monitoring program in Mexico to evaluate how citizen science participation influences these outcomes. Volunteers were surveyed before, two weeks, and six months after the training, and semi-structured interviews were conducted six months post-training with volunteers and dropouts. While surveys showed that participation had limited impacts on knowledge, retrospective interviews revealed self-described differences in volunteer and dropout environmental identity, self-efficacy, and view of citizen science as a conservation activity. Results show participation spurred volunteers to engage in some activist behaviors. The study provides important evidence concerning the influence of citizen science participation in the Global South on behavioral outcomes and helps inform how to design and implement future citizen science programs. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hacettepe University Journal of Education is the property of Hacettepe University Journal of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Marketing & Marketing Research / Pazarlama ve Pazarlama Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Pazarlama & Pazarlama Arastirmalari Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This non-experimental quantitative study aimed to determine if high school students' critical thinking (CT) dispositions and environmental attitudes differ by gender, father, and mother's educational background and their CT dispositions are significant predictors of environmental attitudes. UF/EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Instrument and Environmental Attitude Scale were used to collect data in this study carried out with 139 high school students. It was found out that students' CT dispositions did not differ by gender, father, and mother's educational background. Also, while students' environmental attitudes differed by gender in favor of females, they did not differ by mother and father's educational background. Besides, engagement, maturity, and innovativeness were significant predictors of the students' environmental attitudes. A positive relationship was found between students' CT dispositions and environmental attitude scores and engagement, maturity, and innovativeness together explained 31% of the total variance on their environmental attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TAY Journal / Türk Akademik Yayınlar Dergisi is the property of Turk Akademik Yayinlar Dergisi (TAY Journal) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Metszetek is the property of University of Debrecen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Fostering widespread concern for conservation problems requires a robust understanding of the life experiences that positively contribute to an individual's conservation attitudes and behaviours. However, few studies have assessed a comprehensive range of social and experiential predictors of conservation concern. Using survey responses from 391 undergraduate students enrolled in various course disciplines across Australia, we describe the relationships between five major constructs of early‐life experiences and two measures of conservation concern: a preference for a conservation career and positive conservation attitudes. We find that conservation career preferences are positively associated with childhood preferences for nature‐related books, movies and school subjects, biospheric family value orientations and environmental volunteering. Conservation attitudes were positively associated with biospheric family value orientations and environmental volunteering. Both constructs were negatively associated with egoistic family values and childhood experiences of nature were not a significant factor in either of our models. This suggests that limited nature experiences do not necessarily impede the development of conservation concern in young Australians, and that family values and experiences with environmental organizations, nature‐related storylines and school subjects may help to foster greater conservation concern. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

In the United States there has been a push to convert industries to a more environmentally sustainable business attitude in recent years. Environmentally sustainable practices are not only good for the environment, but there is increasing evidence these practices lead to an increase in customer loyalty. The trend of self-regulation, willingly imposing more stringent environmental policies than required by the government, is progressing toward a time where environmentally friendly practices will be a competitive necessity for businesses to survive. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of environmental health of retail flower shop owners and their willingness to recycle fresh cut floral waste produced at retail flower shops for use as compost and to determine if there is a statistical correlation between environmental awareness and willingness to compost fresh cut flower waste. A mailing list of retail florists from across the United States was compiled. A total of 1974 florists from all 50 states were sent a standardized e-mail explaining the purpose of the study. Embedded in the e-mail was a hyperlink that redirected willing respondents to the survey. Each person on the mailing list was emailed one time. Of the 300 retail florists who took part in the survey, a majority, 190 (63.33%), were ranked as having “high concern” for environmental health. A majority of florists 247 (82.33%) “agreed” or “strongly agreed” to collaborate with Master Gardener programs and other organizations if it meant they could recycle their floral waste through composting. Through the creation of industry- and state-sponsored certifications, florists could brand and promote their business as more environmentally conscious by composting their floral waste. This could possibly, in turn, stimulate sales and increase profit margins while having the added benefit of reducing the amount of waste entering landfills.

In a context of progressive expansion of the Italian forest area, we present the results of a national survey exploring public perception of forests across different geographical scales in Italy. Perceptions of forests are assessed in relation to popular beliefs on relevant environmental issues such as countering climate change, protecting biodiversity, and promoting social cohesion and environmental education. Participants (N = 1059) living in five different regions of Northern (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Piemonte), Central (Lazio, Molise) and Southern Italy (Puglia), were recruited in the survey and completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Survey questions regarded the estimated percentage of forest cover, the perceived importance of different environmental issues and of different material and non-material forest products, as well as participants’ perceptions regarding connectedness to nature. Results revealed a generalized tendency to overestimate the extension of forest surface area in the participants’ region, in Italy, and in the European Union. Results also showed high scores for participants’ perceived importance of environmental issues, such as climate change and biodiversity protection, and in their belief that forests could play a positive role in addressing these issues and providing important outcomes and benefits for the quality of human life, such as health and well-being or social cohesion.

There is an increasing awareness on importance of Environmental Flow (E-flow) in hydrology and watershed management, and environmental attitudes and socio-economic status of locals usually impact E-flow allocation levels. This study develops a system index to analyze these impacts based on a questionnaire survey on households in the Weihe River Basin, China, and four different E-flow allocation levels are considered in the analysis. The main results suggest that: 1) education is important to raise people's environmental awareness, 2) majority people accept to slightly increase water price and pollution fee to save water for E-flow, 3) potential water saving ability of locals is around 5 L/day per person, and 4) impacts of the situation and attitudes of local households are very limited on pollution dilution E-flow and sediment transportation E-flow. These analysis method and results are very supportive for water policy making concerning water saving, water pricing, subsidy and water allocation.

The role of personal values in understanding pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors has received considerable attention from psychological researchers. However, little is known about the mutual interaction of personal values and the Theory of Ecological Attitudes (2-MEV) in explaining pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). To explore the mediating factors with which pro-environmental behaviors are explained via environmental attitudes and personal values, this article reports the study findings from secondary school students. Specifically, the article indicates the extent to which a unified model of personal values and the Theory of Ecological Attitudes (2-MEV) explain self-reported PEBs. The cross-cultural validity of the 2-MEV for measuring environmental attitudes (EA) among the selected respondents is as well investigated. A cross-sectional survey of 408 secondary school students was used for data collection. As expected, principal component analysis with a varimax rotation confirmed the two-factor structure of the 2-MEV measuring EA with two uncorrelated factors of Preservation and Utilization. Interestingly, multiple regression analyses indicated that a combined model of personal values and the 2-MEV provides a more explained variance of self-reported PEBs compared to when any of the two predicators is used independently. Overall, altruistic value provides the largest predictive power over egoistic and biospheric values in mediating EA. In turn, the general model that includes personal values and the 2-MEV indicates that Preservation makes the largest and unique contribution in explaining recycling, biodiversity protection, environmental activism, and general PEBs. Conversely, the Utilization factor provides the largest negative explained variance for management of environmental pollution behavior. These findings remain unaltered even when the age of respondents and social desirability responding are statistically controlled. The implications regarding these study findings are discussed.

Young people’s environmental attitudes and behaviors are essential for environmental conservation, hence the need to identify facilitating factors. Promoting positive development among young people may empower them to contribute actively to their environment through positive attitudes and behaviors. In the present study, we examine the associations between the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development (Character, Confidence, Connection, Caring, and Competence) and environmental concerns among Norwegian youth, measured through environmental attitudes, conservation behavior, and responsibility. Cross-sectional data on demographic variables, the 5Cs and environmental concerns were collected from high school students (N = 220, Mage = 17.30, SD = 1.12). For results, Character was associated with several of the environmental variables (βs = 0.28–0.58, p < 0.05), followed by Competence (βs = 0.26–0.31, p < 0.05) and Caring (βs = 0.23, p < 0.05), and finally Confidence, which showed a negative association with conservation behavior (β = −0.29, p < 0.05). There was no significant association with Connection. While these preliminary findings pave the way for future research that should involve more representative samples, the significant associations between several of the 5Cs and the environmental factors may have some implications for policy and programs on youth development and sustainable behaviors.

This study examines the public's perceptions of the ecological restoration of the Congost River over the past thirty years, focusing on the period between 2010 and 2022. We conducted a survey of 112 river users across five key zones identified through a pilot study for their high pedestrian density, aiming to analyse how different sociodemographic groups perceive the river's ecological state. A structured questionnaire was distributed along both sides of the river to engage a diverse range of individuals typically utilizing the river environment. The collected data were analysed using regression models and Mann-Whitney U tests to assess differences between groups, with Bonferroni adjustments applied to control for multiple comparisons. The results reveal a broad increase in appreciation for the river since 2010, alongside measurable ecological improvements supported by scientific data. Despite these positive changes, a majority of surveyed users remain sceptical about the river's recovery, with less pronounced scepticism among older respondents, those with higher education, and environmental volunteers. These groups' perceptions align more closely with empirical evidence, highlighting the influence of sociodemographic factors on environmental awareness. Individuals living closer to natural settings and frequent river visitors were found to be more attuned to changes in the river's environment, particularly in aesthetic and sensory aspects. The study underscores the persistence of a perceptual gap between scientific assessments of ecological health and public sentiment, emphasizing the complex relationship between community perceptions and objective environmental indicators. These insights underline the complex relationship between community perceptions and objective environmental indicators, reflecting a broader trend in environmental awareness and the importance of factual communication in ecological issues., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Quim Zaldo-Aubanell reports financial support was provided by Granollers City Council (10.13039/501100007601Horizon 2020, European Union, Project No. 887396). Quim Zaldo-Aubanell reports financial support was provided by Fundació RIVUS, in collaboration with Consorci Besòs Tordera., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In this study, we employed a number of geospatial techniques to examine the spatio-temporal patterns and changes of environmental attitudes and place attachment values in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The data were obtained from the Gauteng City Region Observatory's Quality of Life Survey collected at three separate points in time, namely 2013, 2015, and 2017. Results indicated that wards (smallest administrative and analysis units) located on the urban periphery of Gauteng, which are generally less affluent, largely held more negative environmental attitudes and place attachment values during the three time periods. In contrast, centrally located wards, which are generally more affluent, expressed more positive environmental attitudes but less place attachment values, especially in 2017. The findings of this research not only highlight the complex spatio-temporal distribution of environmental attitudes and place attachment values throughout Gauteng but also emphasize the need for spatially targeted state interventions for future environmental planning within the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Board members' attitudes towards environmental protection are an important antecedent of how companies define and implement sustainability initiatives, but little is known about directors' attitudes and the factors associated with these. Using survey data on Italian board members, the research sought to explore the relationships between these individual's personal attributes, especially those related to their roles on boards, and their attitudes towards environmental protection. The findings suggest that female directors, directors with financial background, and independent directors are positively related to attitudes towards environmental protection. In the financial sector, younger board members and risk committee members show stronger environmental attitudes. The results could be of interest to policymakers because the board member attributes identified may require a stronger regulatory focus in order to achieve public policy's environmental protection objectives and to governance bodies in terms of defining board committees' composition and selecting "green directors" oriented towards environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pro‐environmental behaviors (PEBs) have been linked in the literature to social norms, intrinsic motivation and external conditions. However, no study has jointly analyzed these factors on a cross‐country dataset and given a holistic explanation of the variance observed in the adoption rates of PEBs across countries. Using a dataset measuring individual adoption of eight PEBs in the European Union's 28 member states (in 2018), we econometrically test these three groups of factors on a wider scale. We assess the importance of intrinsic motivation as a dominant factor and show how differing levels of intrinsic motivation influence the effectiveness of external conditions, such as monetary incentives and green infrastructures. The results suggest that two‐pronged policies, which take into account intrinsic motivation and external conditions, are needed to reach a high observance rate in the population in the short and in the long term. The wider significance of these results for policy is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the nonmaterial aspects of human-nature connections has grown steadily in recent years, yet efforts to understand nonmaterial connections between individuals and nature confront myriad challenges. We describe a set of three assumptions inherent in research on human-nature connections: (1) that the conceptions researchers are measuring exist inside a person's head; (2) that individuals can express these conceptions (in words or otherwise); and (3) that individuals express these conceptions honestly when asked by researchers. We frame each of these assumptions as challenges, then offer suggestions for addressing each. We have found this three-part framework helpful in designing research into these difficult-to-describe connections, and we provide examples of how these assumptions and responses to them have influenced and appeared in various research traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decades, zoos have increasingly developed into conservation and education centers and today make an important contribution to environmental education. In this context, this study investigated which factors influence attitudes towards species conservation. The variables examined were gender, age, the number of visits to zoos in the last 12 months, perception of zoos, interest in animals and the country where the survey was conducted. A total of 3347 participants in seven different countries were surveyed. In the hierarchical multiple regression, it was found that all the variables examined were significant influencing factors with exception of gender. A mediator analysis provided evidence that the number of visits to zoos, in addition to the direct effect on attitudes towards species conservation, also has a relevant indirect effect with interest in animals as mediators. Significant differences in attitudes towards species conservation were found between some of the countries studied, but only with a small effect sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the influence of socio-demographic factors on attitudes towards water pollution mitigation measures could help provide good pointers in the design of effective water resources management policies. Yet, very few studies have examined this in the developing country context. Using quantitative methods to analyse survey data from Ghana, the main goal of the current study was to determine whether socio-demographic groups report different attitudes towards water resource management. Results show that females reported higher pro-environmental attitudes than men (and these differences were statistically significant). Additionally, the employed were found to have reported higher pro-environmental attitudes than students and the unemployed, however, we do not find evidence to support the influence of age and educational attainment. Notwithstanding the relatively limited sample, this work offers valuable insights into the different factors that could influence environmental attitudes. Further research is needed on how sociodemographic variables interact with other psychosocial factors to determine environmental attitudes. This could advance our understanding on how different social groups may respond to policies designed to promote pro-environmental behaviour and reduce water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the impact of individual and organisational factors on two simultaneous environmental social marketing interventions (SmartPrint and heating/cooling) and types of behaviours (recycling, printing and heating/cooling), among employees of a British City Council. Using a quantitative methodology, in the form of a situated experiment, self-reported attitudes, perceptions of organisational support, self-reported behaviours and actual behaviours were measured before and after the interventions. The interventions generated significant changes in employees’ overall environmental behaviour, heating/cooling behaviour and in some perceptions of organisational support (support and incentives/rewards). Findings are used to detail recommendations for future campaigns aiming to improve organisations’ environmental performance and to drive enduring employee behavioural change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using a purposive sample with an even distribution of 299 non-Hispanic Whites, 294 African Americans, 292 Asian Americans and 295 Hispanics, we test a moderated mediation model that examines the relationship between selfreported news media consumption (e.g., non-conservative and conservative) and environmental behavioural intentions. Our study found evidence supporting the mainstreaming hypothesis (converging attitudes) across key variables within the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Our results also reveal nonconservative outlets to be associated with more favourable environmental attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, while conservative outlets are associated with less favourable levels for two of these three variables. Results also indicate conditional indirect relationships between nonconservative news use on behavioural intentions through our TPB variables, which vary by race/ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study's primary purpose is to examine young children's environmental awareness regarding their ecological footprint and environmental attitudes. The participants of this study are 100 Turkish early childhood children who were 5–6 years old. The data was collected using the Ecological Footprint Awareness of Children (abbreviated as EKAY-O in Turkish) visual scale and some demographic questions. Descriptive statistics, thematic descriptive analysis, and word cloud were used during the data analysis. According to the descriptive results, children's ecological footprint awareness was low due to their low scores. The thematic descriptive analysis results showed that most of the children's attitudes were anthropocentric towards several environmental phenomena. The word cloud analysis results showed that children's mothers are an essential factor in children's ecological footprint awareness and environmental attitudes behavior. It has been concluded that while raising environmentally friendly individuals, the parents of young children are as important as the education they received at school. It has been suggested that early childhood teachers should give more time to parents' involvement while working with children through the environment and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the prevalence of plant-based alternatives to meat consumption in students at a Midwest university, describe associations between demographics, environmental concern attitudes, and consumption, and determine variables statistically associated with trying the plant-based alternatives. Descriptive cross-sectional convenience sample; self-administered online surveys. College students at a Midwest university. Currently enrolled students aged 18–30 taking courses on campus as of March 2020. Plant-based alternative consumption; demographics; vegetarian status; environmental attitudes; influences on food choices; and trusted sources of food information. Bivariate comparisons for consumption of plant-based alternatives; logistic regression analysis. Fifty-five percent had tried a plant-based meat alternative. Top reasons were enjoying new foods and curiosity about the products. Out-of-state residency, vegetarian status, and 10 of 11 environmental attitude statements were significantly associated with plant-based alternative consumption (P < 0.05). About 30% of consumers indicated they wanted to eat less meat and that plant alternatives were better for the environment. Nonconsumers had less favorable views of meatless meals. This study supports that positive environmental attitudes were predictive of plant-based alternative consumption among college students. Increased awareness and familiarity could encourage consumption among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental education is implemented in formal curricula in multiple ways, including K-12 science. In the United States, the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has provided a lens for considering how the goals of environmental education and formal science education may overlap and complement one another. Potential synergies emerge from similarities between NGSS science and engineering practices and the skills of questioning, analysis, and interpretation in the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence. In this study, middle school students were engaged in an environmental storyline unit that supported their abilities to ask questions, design and conduct investigations, and develop model-based explanations, practices consistent across both fields. Participating students demonstrated positive gains in nature relatedness environmental attitudes. This study provides evidence that curricular design around the practices of science and environmental education connects the goals of each and may be a promising approach to broadening access to effective environmental education experiences. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2021.1949569. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economics & Environment / Ekonomia i Środowisko is the property of Fundacja Ekonomistow Srodowiska i Zasobow Naturalnych and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Today, the decrease of bonds established with nature due to the use of technology, the increase in urbanization and the change of daily routines might affect people's attitudes and behaviours towards environment negatively. Considering that attitudes are one of the most important factors affecting behaviours, in the current study, it is aimed to reveal students' environmental behaviours and whether the attitudes that underlie these behaviours are ecocentric or anthropocentric. In the context of basic qualitative design, twelve questions related to environmental behaviours were asked to middle school students and in addition, students were required to explain the reasons of their behaviours. The findings revealed that middle school students had ecocentric and both ecocentric and anthropocentric attitudes for the questions related to sensitive behaviour and attentive behaviour. However it was seen that students showed anthropocentric attitudes for the questions related to energy/product saving and for the questions about sorting out the garbage, throwing the garbage into the recycling bin and using products having recyclable materials in their packaging. Therefore it is recommended to organize environmental education that supports students' environmental attitudes when the issue have an economic dimension and that encourage them for recycling applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the development and validation of an instrument called science identities, expectations of success in science, values of science, and environmental attitudes (SIEVEA). The instrument is a convenient online survey that can be used to measure students’ SIEVEA. First, 1764 high school students from 11 school districts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut took the SIEVEA. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The EFA results provided useful insights into the factor structure of the data and led to the formation of three candidate models. All three models were evaluated based on their fit to data, their alignment with the research constructs, and their factor loadings. Because of this evaluation, the three-factor model was selected as the final model. Next, the instrument was validated through confirmatory factor analysis using a new sample data made up of responses of 1495 high school students. The developed instrument is valuable for both researchers and educators, as it allows for measurement of constructs that play an important role in successful science learning.

Introduction In each society, people can have a totally responsible or completely irresponsible, medieval behavior with the environment. This wide range of environmental encounters is influenced by countless variables and factors that are mainly related to the individual's social environment (Aghili et al., 2009: 237). Various social in-house researchers have investigated the relationship between variables such as education, tourism, social capital, cultural capital, religion, etc., with environmental behaviors. Although various factors are related to environmental behaviors, but one of the variables that has not been addressed is the study of environmental behaviors among ethnic groups. Although the issue of ethnicity and its diversity in Iran's ethnic, cultural, social and political literature is not new, some of the developments and social movements that have taken place in recent years have caused wider communication and interaction of relatives more and more, and this makes the subject more prominent than before. But apart from these debates, some other developments have also occurred among ethnic groups that could be a warning to the future of Iran. An examination of the results of internal and external research suggests that competition in ethnic groups may be an effective testimony to expanding the understanding of the environment across the population, highlighting the issues that, in the near future of ethnicity, can be one of the most important variables in influencing environmental issues. Therefore, the present study, with the assumption that environmental behaviors among the ethnic groups in Iran are not the same, seeks to compare the environmental behaviors among the three ethnic groups (Azeri, Talesh and Gilak) in the two provinces of Guilan and Ardebil. Accordingly, the fundamental question raised in this study is: Is there a difference between ethnic Azeri, Gilak, and Talesh groups regarding environmental behaviors? Material & Methods In this research, the survey method has been used, and according to the nature and subject of the research, the required data were collected through a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study consisted of citizens aged 18 and over in Ardabil, Rasht and Talesh. Based on the data of the year 1395 (2016), there are 1358525 people in the mentioned cities. Using the Cochran formula, 384 samples were obtained which, due to the lack of deficiency in the number of original samples, 391 questionnaires were distributed. The sampling method of the present study was to use a proportional random sampling method of volume size. Discussion of Results & Conclusions It seems necessary to briefly highlight the main findings of this study that compares environmental behaviors among the Gilak, Talesh, and Azeri individuals: based on the Toki test in which ethnic couples perform comparisons between couples, it has been shown that there is a significant difference between the Azeri and Gilak ethnicities, and in fact, the environmental behaviors of Azeri ethnicity are better and more. It can be concluded that by comparing the environmental attitudes among Azeri ethnic groups with Gilaks, the result is that the environmental attitudes of the Azeri ethnic group with Gilaks have a significant difference, that is, the environmental attitudes of Azeri ethnicity are better and more. Therefore, in analyzing this finding, it can be said that considering the better ecological attitudes of Azeri ethnicity than Gilaks, the environmental behaviors of the Azeri people are better than Gilaks. But, the results of the factor analysis indicate that the Gilak ethnicity with a coefficient of 17% has the highest coefficient of determination, which means that the variables in the research account for 17% of the dependent variable. Environmental attitudes are considered as influential variables in environmental behaviors. Since attitudes and beliefs represent commitment, we can say that they are echoing our behavior and actions, so an individual who has an environmental orientation tends to behave in ways to protect and maintain the environment. Also, the findings of the research show that there is no significant difference between the behaviors of the Azeri ethnic ecosystem support and the efforts. In fact, there are no significant differences between the two ethnic groups in terms of environmental attitudes, environmental awareness and cultural capital. Another finding from the Toki test between environmental and ethnicity behaviors is that there is a significant difference between the average behaviors of the Gilak ethnic environment and the effort. In other words, Gilak ethnicity support behaviors have a significant difference in comparison with the Talesh ethnic group. In fact, the environmental behaviors of the Gilak ethnicity are more and more successful. Therefore, by examining the environmental attitudes between the two sides of Talesh and Gilak, this important finding was obtained that the environmental attitudes are different between them. In fact, the ecological attitude of Talesh ethnic group is a better and more endearing endeavor than the Gilak ethnicity.

The purpose of the study was to reveal the effects of scientific argumentation-oriented teaching activities on the environmental attitudes and knowledge of seventh-grade Turkish students within the human and environment unit compared to the activities suggested by the ministry of education science and technology curriculum. This study employed a “Quasi-experimental design with pre-test-post-test control group” quantitative research design. A total of 57 seventh-grade students participated in the study, 29 in the test group and 28 in the control group. The research was carried out in a public school in the Melikgazi district of the Kayseri Province in the 2012–2013 academic years, where the study’s was conducted over a total of 16 h. Research data were collected through a 24-item environmental knowledge test and a 20-item environmental attitude scale after granting permission of the researcher who was working on environmental education. Independent samples t-test analyzes were performed for the dependent variable environmental knowledge level. As the scores of the participants were not normally distributed in the environmental attitude scale, the analysis of the scores obtained from this scale was performed by nonparametric Mann–Whitney U-test. As a result of the analysis, it was observed that the participating students’ environmental knowledge post-test scores significantly differentiated in favor of the test group (t (55) = 2.564, ρ = 0.013). Environmental knowledge post-test results revealed that scientific argumentation-oriented teaching activities were significantly more effective on students’ environmental knowledge compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was found between the environmental attitude post-test scores (U = 311.5, ρ = 0.129). Therefore, it was concluded that teaching activities focused on scientific argumentations had no effect on these students’ attitudes toward the environment. Regarding the results of the study, the effect of this method on students’ environmental attitudes should be compared at secondary school, high school, and university levels.

Environmentally friendly behavior has become increasingly important in recent years to reduce the speed of climate change and its negative impacts. Individual behavior, including environmentally friendly behavior, is largely formed by behavioral intentions. This study draws on the theory of planned behavior to examine the effects of attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions of environmentally friendly behavior. It also investigates differences between genders and among sports. The study is based on data from a nationwide online survey of community sports club members in Germany in five team/racket sports (n = 3,036). Existing measures to operationalize the constructs were adapted to the present research context. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that the theoretical assumptions of the theory of planned behavior were largely supported by the data, implying that the antecedents of environmentally friendly behavioral intentions can be applied to club members. Furthermore, gender- and sports-specific differences in the antecedents–intention relationship were detected. This study is among the first to examine environmentally friendly behavioral intentions in community sports clubs. It adds to an increasing body of research investigating environmental sustainability in sports.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between environmental attitudes and recycling behaviour in primary school age, and to evaluate the role that school and parents play in the prediction of children’s attitudes and behaviour. Primary school pupils aged 8–11 years (n = 116), their parents and their class teachers participated in the study. During the structured face-to-face interviews, children answered questions about their recycling behaviour and environmental attitudes (i.e. eco-affinity and eco-awareness). Parents provided answers on their recycling behaviour, verbal modelling of the behaviour, incentives used when a child recycles waste, and environmental attitudes, while class teachers provided information about the recycling in children’s school. Structural equation models were tested with a purpose to evaluate the role of different independent variables, i.e. only school, only parental factors, or both, when predicting child recycling behaviour. Results of the study showed that children’s environmental attitudes had no significant links to their recycling behaviour. The only factor that appeared to be significant in the prediction of child behaviour was parental recycling behaviour. Furthermore, recycling in schools predicted pupils’ eco-awareness. Based on the study findings, it would be worthwhile to promote more practical training of pro-environmental behaviour, and to strengthen children’s eco-affinity.

Using data from eight surveys collected between 1996 and 2016, this study examines race differences in the association between hearing sermons about environmental and other social‐political issues and support for policies aimed at protecting the environment. While accounting for religious faith, political partisanship, and social‐demographic characteristics, we find that Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to hear sermons about environmental and other social‐political issues. However, hearing such messages more strongly associates with Whites supporting environmental conservation policies than it does for Blacks and Hispanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the endorsement of an expanded construct of environmental justice (ExEJ) that includes the rights of nature, other species, and future generations. We contextualized this study in terms of the environmental challenges posed by hydraulic fracturing. We used structural equation modeling to test a model that hypothesized that attitudes toward fracking would mediate an endorsement of ExEJ. We tested multiple factors that research suggests contribute to those attitudes using a student and non-student sample from a state experiencing fracking activity. Results suggest that self-transcendent factors directly predicted ExEJ endorsement, while self-focus factors predicted positive attitudes toward fracking, and a varied set of factors predicted a negative fracking attitude. Attitudes had no direct effect on ExEJ. Patterns of result suggest self-transcendent factors and avenues for change facilitate ExEJ, while self-enhancement factors influence positive fracking attitudes. Interpretations of these patterns are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systematic contact with the natural environment seems to increase the level of human sensitivity to ecological problems. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of physical activity outdoors in nature as part of school physical education on the level of environmental attitudes Material and methods: 220 students participated in an experimental study. The experimental group, which did exercise usually in open spaces, included 103 students. The control group, which exercised inside school, consisted of 117 students. The study period lasted two years and involved the fifth and sixth form of primary school. The authors used the part relating to attitudes in the Children's Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale CHEAKS in the study. Results: The appearance of eight statistically significant differences in the field of environmental attitudes in the final study in favor of the group having outdoor physical education lessons proves the cognitively and visually stimulating role of the natural environment of physically active people. The location of physical education lessons turned out to be a much stronger condition for positive environmental attitudes than gender, place of residence, parents' education level, and subjective assessment of the financial satisfaction level. Conclusions: These results are an incentive to further develop the young generation's contact with nature through outdoor physical education lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is addressing topics related to sustainable consumption and aims to identify and rank the decisional factors involved in the process of purchasing local eco-friendly agri-food products and to analyse to what extent the incidence of eco-friendly agri-food consumption is influenced by five factors: income, age, gender, education, living area. Thus, the paper presents the results of a market research regarding the consumer behaviour of agri-food and the willingness of adopting a more sustainable diet, in one of the developing regions of the European Union: the North-East Region of Romania, Iași County. Our substantive findings indicate that personal benefits (taste, perceived health benefits and freshness) are the main motivations driving sustainable consumption, while environmental conditions did not reach such a great significance. The results show that, in general, people are not well informed about the environmental implications of their diet. Their environmental attitudes are not aligned with their actual purchase practices: although the majority of people declare they are preoccupied with environmental protection, the driving motivations of agri-food purchase do not necessarily imply environmental concern factors, such as transportation, reusable/recyclable package or the wish to protect the environment. The study shows that women are more willing than men to change their consumption behaviour of agri-food products in order to contribute to a sustainable environment. Also, elderly people are more determined to purchase agrifood produced in an environmentally sustainable manner. Findings from this research lead to understanding the multiple factors that consumers consider in making purchase decisions of environmentally sustainable agri-food. Educational campaigns should be implemented in order to grow awareness about how our diet and food choices can address climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative study aimed to develop a model for green consumer behavior using environmental knowledge, values, and attitudes, and the interplay of the influence of these variables on the green behavior of Filipino college consumers. It used survey method to obtain data from 359 third year and fourth year college students recruited from Marikina, Makati and Pasay City. A questionnaire that contains the Green Consumer Test, Environmental Values of Green Consumers Scale, Environmental Attitudes of Green Consumers Scale, and Green Consumer Behavior Scale, was developed, pilot tested, and used. The questionnaires were distributed to students from randomly selected intact classes. The Filipino Millennial Green Consumer Behavior Model showed that environmental knowledge does not have direct influence to green behavior. Rather, it influences the environmental attitude and values of the consumer, which in turn influence green behavior. The strongest predictor of green behavior is instrumental values, influencing all the three sub-dimensions of green behavior, namely: purchase, use and disposal, and related to environmental advocacy. Both the environmental values and attitude contribute significantly to green behaviors particularly the use of green products and disposal of garbage. The results suggest that environmental knowledge is still important to teach to the millennials as this will facilitate formation of appropriate environmental attitude and values that can eventually influence green consumer behavior. This also shows that there must be strong emphasis in the teaching of environmental values and attitude. Appropriate value formation strategies must be in place to facilitate promotion of green consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many stressors plague bee populations including habitat fragmentation and degradation, as well as pathogens and pesticide exposure. With bee communities at risk, conservation efforts are imperative. Although recent research has examined bee communities across cities, few studies have analyzed variation in human attitudes toward and perceptions of bees, or how these perspectives might influence bee conservation. We therefore analyzed residents' attitudes toward and perceptions of bees, specifically in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Primarily drawing upon 2017 survey data (n = 496, 39% response rate), we posed the following questions: 1) What cognitive, environmental, and social factors explain whether people like or dislike bees? and 2) How do attitudes and perceptions about bees relate to land management practices, specifically landscaping choices, herbicide and pesticide use, and desert plantings? Overall, attitudes toward bees were mostly neutral with a slight trend toward dislike but most residents did not believe bees were problematic at their homes. Additional findings reveal that risk perceptions, ecological worldviews, and pet ownership significantly explained attitudes toward bees. Moreover, people who live closer to desert parks had relatively positive attitudes toward bees. Regarding yard management practices, both attitudes toward and perceptions of bees were positively correlated with adding desert plants to residential yards. Moreover, people who use pesticides had more negative attitudes toward bees. Our results indicate conservation potential for urban bee populations, for example, by planting native vegetation in residential areas near desert preserves. We hope this study will result in more attitudinal research on bee species and other understudied urban wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between environmental attitudes and recycling behaviour in primary school age, and to evaluate the role that school and parents play in the prediction of children’s attitudes and behaviour. Primary school pupils aged 8–11 years (n = 116), their parents and their class teachers participated in the study. During the structured face-to-face interviews, children answered questions about their recycling behaviour and environmental attitudes (i.e. eco-affinity and eco-awareness). Parents provided answers on their recycling behaviour, verbal modelling of the behaviour, incentives used when a child recycles waste, and environmental attitudes, while class teachers provided information about the recycling in children’s school. Structural equation models were tested with a purpose to evaluate the role of different independent variables, i.e. only school, only parental factors, or both, when predicting child recycling behaviour. Results of the study showed that children’s environmental attitudes had no significant links to their recycling behaviour. The only factor that appeared to be significant in the prediction of child behaviour was parental recycling behaviour. Furthermore, recycling in schools predicted pupils’ eco-awareness. Based on the study findings, it would be worthwhile to promote more practical training of pro-environmental behaviour, and to strengthen children’s eco-affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring environmental perceptions and pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) is an enduring interest in several research fields, including environmental education, marketing, policy sociology and innovation studies. A variety of tools have been developed to measure both environmental perception and PEB, challenging researchers to choose from the tools on offer. This study compares several measures, and finds that two widely used ones – the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale and the Two Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) scale – overlap, but have some significant differences. Combining the scales into a unified framework is possible, by retaining the 'Preservation' and 'Utilization' factors from 2-MEV and including an additional factor, 'Eco-crisis' sensitivity, which is uniquely covered by NEP. Results of analysis of PEB also suggest that the validity of Rasch model-based tools, which consider estimates of behavioral difficulties, is superior to those of widely used composite variables. Insights on other measurement issues are also discussed in order to inform researchers and future developers of measurement instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latin American citizens are more concerned about the consequences of climate change than citizens of any other region in the world. However, this concern does not always lead to prioritizing the environment over economic growth. This paper argues that individuals' economic constraints moderate the relationship between their beliefs about the seriousness of climate change and their preferences with respect to the dilemma between prioritizing the environment or economic growth. The analyses of 2016 Americas Barometer (Lapop) surveys in 18 Latin American countries, with hierarchical linear models and generalized structural equations, show that the level of concern about climate change has a significant positive effect on the prioritization of the environment among individuals with above-average wealth and a negative effect among individuals with below-average wealth. This work makes two contributions. First, the study analyzes the conditional effect of concern about climate change on environment prioritization depending on individual economic constraints; and secondly, it contributes to scholarship about environmental attitudes in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]