Diverse segments of the US public underestimate the environmental concerns of minority and low-income Americans

Abstract

In a nationally representative survey experiment, diverse segments of the US public underestimated the environmental concerns of nonwhite and low-income Americans and misperceived them as lower than those of white and more affluent Americans. Moreover, both whites and nonwhites and higher- and lower-income respondents associated the term “environmentalist” with whites and the well-educated, suggesting that shared cultural stereotypes may drive these misperceptions. This environmental belief paradox—a tendency to misperceive groups that are among the most environmentally concerned and most vulnerable to a wide range of environmental impacts as least concerned about the environment—was largely invariant across demographic groups and also extended to the specific issue of climate change. Suggesting these beliefs are malleable, exposure to images of a racially diverse (vs. nondiverse) environmental organization in an embedded randomized experiment reduced the perceived gap between whites’ and nonwhites’ environmental concerns and strengthened associations between nonwhites and the category “environmentalists” among minority respondents. These findings suggest that stereotypes about others’ environmental attitudes may pose a barrier to broadening public engagement with environmental initiatives, particularly among populations most vulnerable to negative environmental impacts.

Education influences knowledge about environmental issues in Washington, DC, USA

“…The deficiencies could be addressed by providing opportunities for education. However, we found that some environmental knowledge was relatively high even among the less educated group, which is consistent with previous studies that show high awareness of environmental risks and support for environmental protections regardless of education and across racial groups that may, on average, be less educated than Caucasians [42–45].…”

“…Ensuring that people with lower educational attainment have equal opportunities to participate in group organizations may help close the gap in environmental knowledge, provide a tool of empowerment to change their circumstances and take pro-environmental actions. Mainstream environmental organizations have a low percentage of non-white minorities on their staff [46] and the term “environmentalist” is associated with well-educated and white people by minorities and Caucasians alike [45], so structural and psychological barriers currently prevent diverse participation and representation.…”

Theme 1: Why Diversity?

“…In fact, a National Academy of Sciences report (Pearson et al. ) indicated that 54% of Latinos are very or extremely concerned, while only 12% of a group of respondents thought that they were concerned. In addition, 67% of Hispanics said that they would be hurt personally if nothing was done to reduce climate change impacts compared to 50% of the white population.…”

“…More funding and research will help us understand the minority population's thinking on the subject; however, recent studies are telling us minorities have more interest in the environment than we think. In fact, a National Academy of Sciences report (Pearson et al 2018) indicated that 54% of Latinos are very or extremely concerned, while only 12% of a group of respondents thought that they were concerned. In addition, 67% of Hispanics said that they would be hurt Fisheries | Vol.…”

Fisheries Volume 44 Number 8 August 2019

“…More funding and research will help us understand the minority population ' s thinking on the subject; however, recent studies are telling us minorities have more interest in the environment than we think. In fact, a National Academy of Sciences report (Pearson et al 2018 ) indicated that 54% of Latinos are very or extremely concerned, while only 12% of a group of respondents thought that they were concerned. In addition, 67% of Hispanics said that they would be hurt personally if nothing was done to reduce climate change impacts compared to 50% of the white population.…”