A Comparison of Environmental Perceptions and Behaviors of Five Discrete Populations

This paper summarizes the perceptions and behaviors regarding environmental issues of five discrete and separate groups/populations. Assessments were made to determine the difference in perceptions held by these groups between issues of greatest importance to mankind, issues of greatest personal interest, and a control issue (noise pollution) with respect to perceived levels of: importance to mankind, information held, individual focus of control, group locus of control, and self-reported environmental actions (behaviors). Findings suggest that academically oriented/ environmentally allied groups perceive overpopulation as the most important issue to mankind. Further, groups with environmentally allied characteristics perceive the most important environmental issues facing mankind with a greater degree of within-group homogeneity than the groups consisting of individuals that have few environmentally allied similarities. When comparisons on the data for the variables across issues of greatest interest and a control issue were examined, it is apparent that interest in an issue was related to higher perceived levels of information, perceived importance, a more internal individual locus of control, a more internal group locus of control, and higher levels of reported citizenship action.