Environmental Attitudes: 20 Years of Change

Examined individuals' willingness to make personal sacrifices and give up material goods to benefit the environment. A study conducted of 1,500 college students in 1990 compared attitudes of students with those found in similar studies done in 1971 and 1981. Analysis focused on what students were willing to give up by measuring changes in attitudes toward 35 specific items. Ss in the 1981 and 1990 samples were less willing to give up items and make personal sacrifices for the benefit of the environment than Ss in the 1971 sample were. The belief that material and energy resources in the US are seriously limited decreased from 1971 to 1981 and again from 1981 to 1990. Results suggest that if students today are more materialistic than students 20 yrs ago, the environmental message must change to stress the link between today's lifestyle and environmental problems. New desired behaviors must be specified and individual benefits demonstrated.