Environmental attitude, motivations and values for marine biodiversity protection

Halkos, George and Matsiori, Steriani (2015): Environmental attitude, motivations and values for marine biodiversity protection.

Abstract

This study explores people’s environmental attitudes and motives for putting economic values to marine biodiversity and its protection. Primary data were collected from a sample of 359 people living in two important Greek coastal port cities: Thessaloniki and Volos. Respondents’ environmental attitude was measured with the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, and economic values were derived from a referendum, contingent valuation method (CVM) survey for protecting marine biodiversity. Use of appropriate statistical methods revealed three factors of environmental attitudes; namely, man dominate to nature, anti-anthropocentrism and limits to growth. Significant relationships are found between NEP scale factors and socio-economic characteristics and individuals’ opinions about marine biodiversity utility. Pro-environmental behavior or attitudes are associated with higher NEP scale scores. At a second stage and in a logistic regression setup the relation between people’s willingness to pay (WTP) for marine biodiversity protection with their socio-economic characteristics and the PCA extracted results are explored. Pro-environmental attitudes influence the estimates of mean WTP. Significant relationships are found between environmental attitudes and non-use motivations and WTP and ethical motives for species protection. Finally individuals’ mean WTP for marine biodiversity protection was calculated approximately equal to € 29 per person.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Environmental attitudes; NEP scale; CVM; WTP; biodiversity.
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C1 - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General > C10 - General; C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C5 - Econometric Modeling > C52 - Model Evaluation, Validation, and Selection; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q2 - Renewable Resources and Conservation > Q20 - General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q51 - Valuation of Environmental Effects; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services ; Biodiversity Conservation ; Bioeconomics ; Industrial Ecology

References

Addams H. (2000). Q Methodology. Chapter 2. In: H. Addams and J. Proops. Social Discourse and Environmental Policy: An Application of Q Methodology. Cheltenham: Elgar.

Ajzen I., and Fishbein M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Albrecht D., Bultena G., Hoiberg E. and Nowak P. (1982). The New Paradigm Scale. Journal of Environmental Education, 13: 39-43.

Aldrich G. A., Grimsrud K. M., Thacher J. A. and Kotchen, M.J. (2007). Relating environmental attitudes and contingent values: how robust are methods for identifying preference heterogeneity? Environmental and Resource Economics, 37(4): 757-775.

Arcury T. and Christianson E. (1990). Environmental worldview in response to environmental problems. Environment and Behavior, 22: 387-407.

Arcury T., Scollay S. and JohnsonT. (1987). Sex differences in environmental concern and knowledge: The case of acid rain. Sex Roles, 16: 463-472.

Ardahan F. (2012) The new ecological paradigm (NEP scale) score of Turkish mountaineers/rock climbers, cyclists and trekkers. Energy Education Science and Technology Part B. Social and Educational Studies, 4: 2035–2046.

Arrow K., Solow R., Portney P.R., Leamer E.E., Radner R., Schuman H. (1993) Report of the NOAA Panel on Contingent Valuation. Federal Register 58(10): 4601-4614.

Bechtel R.B., Verdugo V.C. and de Queiroz Pinheiro J. (1999). Environmental belief systems: United States, Brazil, and Mexico. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 30(1): 122-128.

Berenguer J., Corraliza J.A. and Martin R. (2005) Rural-urban differences in environmental concern, attitudes, and actions. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 21: 128–138.

Boeve-de Pauw, J., Jacobs, K., & Van Petegem, P. (2012). Gender differences in environmental values: An issue of measurement? International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education. 2 (1).

Bord R.J., R.E. O'Connor and A. Fisher (2000). In what sense does the public need to understand global climate change? Public Understanding of Science, 9(3): 205-218.

Brown T.C., Champ, P.A., Bishop, R.C. and McCollum, D.W. (1996). Which response format reveals the truth about donations to a public good. Land Economics, 72 (2): 152–166.

Buttel F. (1992). Environmentalization: Origins, processes, and implications for rural social change. Rural Sociology, 57: 1-27.

Casey P.J. and Scott K. (2006). Environmental concern and behavior in an Australian sample within an ecocentric-anthropocentric framework. Australian Journal of Psychology, 58: 57–67.

Chung S.S., and Poon C.S. (2001). A comparison of waste-reduction practices and new environmental paradigm of rural and urban Chinese citizens. Journal of Environmental Management, 62: 3–19.

Clark C.F., Kotchen M.J., and Moore M.R. (2003). Internal and external influences on pro–environmental behavior: Participation in a green electricity program. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23: 237–246.

Clayton S. and Myers G. (2009). Conservation psychology: Understanding and promoting human care for nature (pp. 15–33). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Diamantopoulos A., Schlegelmilch B.B. and Sinkovics R.R. (2003). Can socio-demographics still play a role in profiling green consumers? A review of the evidence and an empirical investigation. Journal of Business Research, 56: 465-480.

Dietz T., Stern P.C. and Guagnano G.A. (1998). Social structural and social psychological bases of environmental concern. Environment and behavior, 30 (4): 450-471.

Doherty T. J. (2011). Psychologies of the environment. Ecopsychology, 3: 75-77.

Dunlap R. E., Van Liere K. D., Mertig A. G. and Jones R. E. (2000). Measuring endorsement of the new environmental paradigm: A revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56: 425–442.

Dunlap R.E. and Jones R.E. (2002). Environmental concern: Conceptual and measurement issues. In R.E. Dunlap and W. Michelson (Eds.), Handbook of environmental sociology (pp. 482–524). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Dunlap R.E. and Van Liere K. (1978). The new environmental paradigm. Journal of Environmental Education, 9: 10–19.

Dunlap R.E., Grieneeks, J.K. and Rokeach, M. (1983). Human values and proenvironmental behavior. In: WD. Conn (ed) Energy and material resources: Attitudes, values, and public policy, Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Dunlap R.E., Van Liere K.D., Mertig A.G. and Jones R.E. (2000). Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56: 425– 442.

Ebreo A., Hershey J. and Vining J. (1999). Reducing solid waste: Linking recycling to environmentally responsible consumerism. Environment and Behavior, 31: 107–135.

Edelstein M. (1988). Contaminated Communities: The Social and Psychological Impacts of Residential Toxic Exposures. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Fransson N. and Gärling T. (1999) Environmental concern: Conceptual definitions, measurement methods, and research findings. Journal of Evironmental Psychology, 19: 369-382.

Geller J.M., and Lasley, P. (1985). The New Environmental Paradigm Scale: A reexamination. The Journal of Environmental Education, 17(1): 9-12.

Gifford R. (2007). Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice, (4th ed.) Canada: Optimal Books.

Guagnano G.A., Stern P.C. and Dietz T. (1995). Influences on attitude-behavior relationships: A natural experiment with curbside recycling. Environmental Behavior, 27: 699 – 718.

Guagnano G.A., Stern P.C., Dietz T., (1995). Influences on attitude behavior relationships: a natural experiment with curbside recycling. Environment and Behavior, 5: 699–718. Halkos G.E. (2006). Econometrics: Theory and practice. Giourdas Publications.

Halkos G.E. (2011). Econometrics: Theory and Practice: Instructions in using Eviews, Minitab, SPSS and Excel. Gutenberg.

Hanemann W. M. (1984). Welfare Evaluations in Contingent Valuation Experiments with Discrete Responses. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 66: 332-341.

Responses’. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 66, p332-341Hanley N. and Graig S. (1991). Wilderness development decisions and the Krutilla–Fisher Model: the case of Scotland’s flow country. Ecological Economics, 4: 145–164.

Hawcroft L.J. and T.L. Milfont (2010). The use (and abuse) of the new environmental paradigm scale over the last 30 years: A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30 (2): 143-158.

Heberlein T.A. (1981). Environmental Attitudes. Zeitschrift fur Umweltpolitik. Journal of Environmental Policy, 2: 241-270.

Henry A.D. (2000). Public Perceptions of Global Warming. Human Ecology Review, 7(1): 25-30.

Himmelfarb S. (1993). The measurement of attitudes. In: A. H. Eagly & S. Chaiken (Eds.), The psychology of attitudes (pp. 23-87). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Homer P. and L.R. Kahle (1988). A Structural Equation Analysis of the Value-Attitude-Behavior Hierarchy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54: 638–46.

Hosmer D.W. and Lemeshow S. (2000). Applied logistic regression (2nd Ed.), New York Wiley.

Hunter L.M. and Rinner L. (2004). The association between environmental perspective and knowledge and concern with species diversity. Society and Natural Resources, 17: 517–532.

Jacobsen J.B. and Hanley, N. (2008). Are There Income Effects on Global Willingness to Pay for Biodiversity Conservation? Environmental and Resource Economics, 43 (2): 137-160.

Jacobson S.K. and S. M. Marynowski (1997). Public attitudes and knowledge about ecosystem management on Department of Defense Lands in Florida. Conservation Biology, 11(3): 1- 13.

Johansson-Stenman O. (1998). The Importance of Ethics in Environmental Economics with a Focus on Existence Values. Environment and Resource Economics, 11: 429–42.

Johnson C., Bowker J.M. and Cordell H. (2004). Ethnic variation in environmental belief and behavior: An examination of the New Ecological Paradigm in a social psychological context. Environment and Behavior, 32: 157-186.

Kaltenborn B.P. and Bjerke T. (2002) Associations between environmental value orientations and landscape preferences. Landscape and Urban Planning, 59: 1–11.

Kaltenborn B.P., Andersen O., Nellemann C., Bjerke T. and C. Thrane (2008) Resident attitudes towards mountain second-home tourism development in Norway: the effects of environmental attitudes. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16: 664–680.

Kellert S.R. (1985). Birdwatching in American Society. Leisure Sciences, 7: 343-360.

Kellert S.R. and J.K. Berry (1987). Attitudes, Knowledge, ard Behaviors Toward Wildlife as affected by Gender. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 15(3): 363-371.

Kempton W. (1991). Lay Perspectives on Global Climate Change. Global Environmental Change, 1(3): 183-209.

Kideghesho J.R., Røskaft B. and Kaltenborn B.P (2007). Factors influencing conservation attitudes of local people in Western Serengeti, Tanzania. Biodiversity Conservation, 16: 2213-2230.

Kim D. (1999). Environmentalism in developing countries and the case of a large Korean city. Social Science Quarterly. 80: 810–829.

Kotchen M.J. and Reiling S.D. (2000). Environmental attitudes motivations and contingent valuation of nonuse values: a case study involving endangered species. Ecological Economics, 32: 93–107.

Loomis J.B. (1988). Contingent valuation using dichotomous choice models. Journal of Leisure Research, 20(1): 46-56. Lopez A.G. and Cuervo-Arango M.A .(2008). Relationship among values, beliefs, norms and ecological behavior. Psicothema, 20 (4): 623- 629.

Lovelock, B. (2010). Disability and going green: a comparison of the environmental values and behaviours of persons with and without disability. Disability and Society, 25(4): 467-484.

Luo Y.J. and Deng J.Y. (2008). The new environmental paradigm and nature-based tourism motivation. Journal of Travel Research, 46: 392–402.

Luzar E. J. and Cosse K.J. (1998). Willingness to Pay or Intention to Pay: The Attitude-Behavior Relationship in Contingent Valuation. Journal of Socioeconomics, 27: 427–44.

Luzar E.J., Diagne A., Gan C. and Henning B.R. (1995). Evaluating nature based tourism using the new environmental paradigm. Journal of Agricultural & Applied Economics, 27(2): 544–555.

Mankin P.C., R.E. Warner, and Anderson W.L. (1999). Wildlife and the Illinois public: a benchmark study of attitudes and perceptions. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 27(2): 465-472.

Marquart-Pyatt S.T. (2007). Concern for the Environment Among General Publics: A Cross National Study. Society and Natural Resources, 20 (10): 883–898.

Mayer F.S. and Frantz C. M. (2004). The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals' feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24: 503–515.

Milfont T.L. and Duckitt J. (2010). The environmental attitudes inventory: a valid and reliable measure to assess the structure of environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30: 80–94.

Milfont T.L., and Duckitt J. (2004). The structure of environmental attitudes: A firstand second-order confirmatory factor analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24: 289-303.

Mobley C., Vagias W.M. and DeWard S.L. (2010). Exploring additional determinants of environmentally responsible behavior: The influence of environmental literature and environmental attitudes. Environment and Behavior, 42: 420–447.

Mohai P. (1992). Men, women, and the environment: an examination of the gender gap in environmental concern and activism. Society and Natural Resources, 5: 1–19.

Mohai P. and Bryant B. (1998). Is there a “race effect” on concern for environmental quality? Public Opinion Quarterly, 62: 475–505.

Mohai P. and Twight B. (1987). Age and environmentalism: An elaboration of the Butte1 model using national survey evidence. Social Science Quarterly, 68: 798-815.

Moran D. (1994). Contingent valuation and biodiversity: measuring the user surplus of Kenyan protected areas. Biodiversity and Conservation, 3: 663-684.

Ndebele T. and Marsh D. (2014) Environmental attitude and the demand for green electricity in the context of supplier choice: A case study of the New Zealand retail electricity market. NZARES Conference. Nelson, New Zealand. August 28-29.

Ninan K.N. and Sathyapalan J. (2005). The economics of biodiversity conservation: A study of a coffee growing region in the Western Ghats of India. Ecological Economics, 55: 61-72.

Noe F. & Snow R. (1990). The new environmental paradigm and further scale analysis. Journal of Environmental Education, 21: 20-26.

Ogunbode C.A. (2013). The NEP scale: measuring ecological attitudes/worldviews in an African context. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 15: 1477–1494.

Olli E., G. Grendstad and D. Wollebaek (2001). Correlates of environmental behaviors: bringing back social context. Environment and Behavior, 33: 181–208.

Pahl S., Harris P., Todd H.A. and Rutter D. (2005). Comparative optimism for environmental risks. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25: 1–11.

Peterson MN, Chen XD, Liu JG. (2008). Household location choices: Implications for biodiversity conservation. Conservation Biology, 22: 912–921.

Pierce G.R., Sarason I.G., Sarason B.R., Solky-Butzel J.A. and Nagle L.C. (1997) Assessing the quality of personal relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14(3): 339–356.

Poortinga W., L. Steg, C. Vlek (2004) Values, Environmental Concern, and Environmental Behavior A Study Into Household Energy Use. Environment and Behavior, 36(1): 70-93.

Pursley J. (2000). An examination of the relationship between adolescent self-efficacy and environmental behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes. Unpublished master’s thesis, Washington State University, Pullman.

Rauwald K.S. and Moore C.F. (2002) Environmental attitudes as predictors of policy support across three countries. Environment and Behavior, 34: 709–739.

Rideout B.E., Hushen K., McGinty D., Perkins S., and Tate J. (2005). Endorsement of the new environmental paradigm in systematic and e–mail samples of college students. Journal of Environmental Education, 36(2): 15–23.

Rideout B.E., Hushen K., McGinty D., Perkins S., and Tate J (2005). Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm in systematic and email samples of university students. Journal of Environmental Education, 36: 15-23.

Rokeach M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values, Free Press, New York.

Rokeach M. (1979). From individual to institutional values: With special reference to the values of science. In: M. Rokeach (ed) Understanding human values (pp. 47–70), Free Press, New York.

Saunders C. and Myers, O.E. Jr. (Eds.) (2003). Conservation psychology [Special edition]. Human Ecology Review, 10(2).

Schetzer L., Stackman R.W. and Moore L.F. (1991). Business-environment attitudes and the new environmental paradigm. Journal of Environmental Education, 22: 14-21.

Schmuck P. and Vlek, C. (2003). Psychologists can do much more to support sustainable development. European Psychologist, 8: 66-78.

Schultz P. and Zelezny L. (1999). Values as predictors of environmental attitudes: Evidence for consistency across 14 countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19: 255-265.

Schultz P.W., Shriver C., Tabanico, J. and Khazian, A. (2004). Implicit connections with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24: 31-42.

Schultz P.W., Unipan J.B. and Gamba R.J. (2000). Acculturation and ecological worldview among Latino Americans. Journal of Environmental Education, 31: 22–27.

Scott D. and Willits F.K. (1994). Environmental attitudes and behavior. Environment & Behavior, 26: 239–260.

Sherburn M. and A.S. Devlin (2004). Academic major, environmental concern, and arboretum use. Journal of Environmental Education, 35(2): 23–36.

Simmons D. and Widmar R. (1990). Motivations and barriers to recycling: toward a strategy for public education. Journal of Environmental Education, 22: 13-18.

Spash C. L. (2000). Ecosystems Contingent Valuation and Ethics: The Case of Wetland Re-Creation. Ecological Economics, 34: 195–215.

Spash C.L. (1997). Ethics and environmental attitudes with implications for economic valuation. Journal of Environmental Management, 50(4): 403–416.

Spash C.L. and Hanley N. (1995). Preferences information and biodiversity preservation. Ecological Economics, 12: 191–208.

Stern P.C. (2000). Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 36: 407-424.

Stern P.C. and Dietz T. (1994). The value basis of environmental concern. Journal of Social Issues, 50: 65–84.

Stern P.C., Dietz T. and Guagnano G.A. (1995). The new ecological paradigm in social-psychological context. Environment and Behavior, 27: 723–743.

Stern P.C., Dietz T. and Kalof L. (1993). Value orientations, gender, and environmental concern. Environment and Behavior, 25: 322–348.

Stern P.C., Dietz T., Guagnano G.A. (1995). The new ecological paradigm in social-psychological context. Environment and Behavior, 27: 723–743.

Stevens T.H., Echevarria J., Glass R.J., Hager T. and More T.A. (1991). Measuring the existence value of wildlife: what do CVM really show? Land Economics, 67(4): 390–400.

Tarrant M.A. and Cordell H.K. (1997). The effect of respondent characteristics on general environmental attitude-behavior correspondence. Environment and Behavior, 29: 618–637.

Taskin O. (2009). The environmental attitudes of Turkish senior high school students in the context of postmaterialism and the new environmental paradigm. International Journal of Science Education, 31: 481–502.

Thapa B. (1999). Environmentalism: the relation of environmental attitudes and environmentally responsible behaviors among undergraduate students. Bulletin of Science Technology & Society, 5, 426-438.

Van Liere K. and Dunlap R. (1980). The social bases of environmental concem: A review of hypotheses, explanations, and empirical evidence. Public Opinion Quarterly, 44: 181-197.

Van Liere K.D. and Dunlap, R.E. (1981). Environmental concern. Does it make a difference how it's measured? Environment & Behavior, 13: 651-676.

Van Petegem P., and A. Blieck (2006). The Environmental Worldview of Children: A Cross Cultural Perspective. Environmental Education Research, 12(5): 625–635.

Van Petegem P., and Blieck A. (2006). The environmental worldview of children: A cross-cultural perspective. Environmental Education Research, 12: 625–635.

Walsh J.A., McGuire J.R. (1992). An Examination of Environmental Attitudes Among College Students. Proceedings of the 1992 Northeastern Recreational Research Symposium. Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. General Technical Report NE-176.

Weaver R.D. (1996). Prosocial behavior: private contributions to agriculture’s impact on the environment. Land Economics, 72(2): 231–247.

Widegren O. (1998). The new environmental paradigm and personal norms. Environment and Behavior, 30(1): 75– 100. Wright M. and Klÿn B. (1998). Environmental Attitude – Behaviour Correlations in 21 Countries. Journal of Empirical Generalisations in Marketing Science, 3: 42–60.

Yabiku S.T., Casagrande D.G. and Farley-Metzger E. (2008). Preferences for landscape choice in a Southwestern desert city. Environmental Behavior, 40: 382–400.

Zelenzy L.C., Chua P. and Aldrich C. (2002). New ways of thinking about environmentalism: elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3): 443–457.

Zinn H.C. and Graefe A.R. (2007). Emerging adults and the future of wild nature. International Journal of Wilderness, 13: 16–23.