Rural‐Urban Differences in Environmental Concern in Canada

Abstract

Distinctions between rural and urban populations are well documented in environmental sociology literature. Rural and urban places may exert different influences on participation in environmentally supportive behavior (ESB) as well as on other forms of environmental concern (EC). The influence of these distinct geographies may be due to present circumstances or because of childhood socialization in these places. Using data from a national survey in Canada (n51 664), we use cognitive (basic values, environmental worldview, and environmental attitude) and behavioral indicators (public and private sphere) of EC to explore differences among rural and urban populations and we include analyses accounting for place of socialization. We extend the conventional private sphere category of ESB by including stewardship behaviors. Results showed few differences between rural and urban residents on indicators of EC. Rural residents, however, scored higher on altruistic values, placed a higher priority on the environment, and reported higher participation in recycling and stewardship behaviors. Analysis that included place of socialization showed differences on environmental worldview, basic values, and some ESB. In terms of ESB, we conclude that residence and place of socialization may be less of a factor than opportunity and highlight the importance of providing services and facilities. We recommend future research on residence and ESB include a variety of behaviors that reflect opportunities for both rural and urban residents.

Influencing Carbon Behaviours: What Psychological and Demographic Factors Contribute to Individual Differences in Home Energy Use Reduction and Transportation Mode Decisions?

“…Overall levels of engagement in energy use reduction were found to be similar between urban and non-urban residents, in line with previous findings for other types of environmental engagement (Huddart-Kennedy et al, 2009). However, it was found that concern for climate change is a more important factor for urban residents than for rural residents, suggesting that further research into the effect of location should consider how attitudes affect behaviours in different areas, rather than just considering whether the attitudes are similar, as is typically done www.ccsenet.org/eer Energy and Environment Research Vol.…”

“…The prioritisation placed by respondents on climate change was expected to have a direct effect on behaviour (Huddart-Kennedy et al, 2009;Whitmarsh & O'Neill, 2010), however this study found that it only indirectly correlated with home energy use reduction through environmental identity and concern for climate change. The difference could be due to variable construction, as respondents were not directly asked to prioritise climate change relative to other issues.…”

“…Prioritising the environment relative to other concerns has been shown to have a positive effect on recycling behaviour, environmental stewardship and public activism (Huddart-Kennedy et al, 2009). Similarly, the importance a person places on climate change increases their propensity to engage in domestic energy conservation on a regular basis (Whitmarsh & O'Neill, 2010).…”

“…However, emphasis on issues which are more significant in urban area (e.g., air and noise pollution), which assess services which may not be provided in areas with low population density (e.g., recycling or public transport), or which fail to address demographic differences can result in bias (Jones et al, 1999;Berenguer et al, 2005). Studies which balance rural and urban environmental issues have found that levels of environmentalism are similar in both (Huddart-Kennedy et al, 2009). However differences do exist , with findings that rural residents are more knowledgeable about the environment in general (Jones et al, 1999), more concerned with environmental conservation (Berenguer et al, 2005), and place more www.ccsenet.org/eer Energy and Environment Research Vol.…”

“…4, No. 1;2014 4 importance on stewardship of the environment (Huddart-Kennedy et al, 2009). On the other hand, urban residents have more pro-environmental attitudes, more frequently engage in pro-environmental behaviours (Berenguer et al, 2005), and are more likely to regularly engage in domestic energy conservation (Whitmarsh & O'Neill, 2010).…”