Surging Environmentalism: Changing Public Opinion or Changing Publics?

Examined whether growing environmental concern in the US from 1980 to 1990 reflects a post-World War II cohort replacement process. G. Firebaugh's (1989) linear decomposition technique was applied to the 8,311 responses from the 1980-1990 General Social Survey, and a significant intercohort replacement process was found. However, a period effect operating on all cohorts during the decade was an even more important source of growing environmental concern. Regression analysis suggested that the cohort replacement and period effects were statistically more important than social status or residence during adolescent socialization or at the time of the survey. Religion and political orientation also were significant contributing variables.