Location, Threat Perception, and Environmental Protection
21 Pages Posted: 13 Aug 2009 Last revised: 23 Sep 2009
Date Written: 2009
Abstract
Differences in voting patterns across the urban-rural divide are well established in the environmental voting literature. Several scholars suggest that this regularity is due to ideological differences across urban and rural areas, while others posit economic arguments centering on industrial composition and resource dependence. Although a wide-range of theories could reasonably explain this relationship, few scholars have rigorously examined the empirical merit of alternative perspectives at the individual level. Using data from the International Social Survey Programme’s (ISSP) 2000 module on environmental attitudes, we examine the relationship between location (i.e., urban or rural), environmental threat perceptions, and individual level environmental actions. The empirical results provide strong support for the mediating effects of environmental threat on the urban-rural distinction. Moreover, we find little support for alternative explanations of the urban-rural divide.
Keywords: environment, urban, rural, voting, policy preferences
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