Environmental Evaluations and Participation Activities: A Social Psychological Field Study

Investigated the determinants of protest vs passivity in a situation of environmental deterioration, using questionnaire data from 229 West Germans in an urban area where plans for a railway had led to some involvement by the citizens. Data analyses were oriented toward a description and prediction of environmental evaluations and participatory behavior. Results demonstrate that participation was mainly influenced by evaluations of present environmental quality, the expected state of the environment in the future, the knowledge and assessment of participation, and general interest in politics. Exposure level, environment-related attitudes (e.g., environmental awareness or desired environmental quality), and personal characteristics (e.g., education) operated as initial determinants in the causal structure of participation. Evidence supported the main claims of the proposed causal model but also indicated necessary revisions.