An Attitude Model of Environmental Action: Evidence from Developing and Developed Countries

Abstract

This paper analyzes the determinants of individual attitudes towards environmental action by means of an original PLSPM model of Environmental Awareness-Social Capital-Action (EASCA). Estimates build on survey data on 34.612 individuals from 42 different countries, as provided in the fifth wave of the World Value Survey (2005-2009). Besides the benchmark global estimates, we perform subsample analysis for developed and developing countries, as well as country analyses for four major economies: China, India, Germany and the United States. Doing so allows us to underline structural differences between countries or main groups of countries. In particular, we find that environmental awareness and trust in not-for profit organizations are the main determinants of individual action in support of environmentally friendly policies. The quality of environmental policymaking should improve if these cultural differences are better understood and taken into account.

Keywords: Environmental attitudes, Environmental policies, Development, Culture, Multivariate Analysis, Partial Least Squares

JEL Classification: Q56, Q58, Z13