MILJÖATTITYDER I EU - En kvantitativ studie av individers inställningar till att värna om miljön på bekostnad av en del av sin levnadsstandard i EU

Abstract

Previous research, based on a small number of EU-countries, has shown a relationship between increasing knowledge of environmental problems and positive attitudes towards environmental policy. Studies has also shown a larger degree of support for climate agreements among individuals with higher levels of reciprocity. However, it remains to investigate whether these results can be generalized for a larger portion of the EU. The aim of this thesis is, specifically, to explore whether individuals with more knowledge of environmental problems and with higher levels of reciprocity are more willing to accept cuts in their living standards to protect the environment. The empirical analyses are based on data from the International Social Survey Programme (2010) which contains 19 EU-countries (including the Great Britain) and analyzed with a linear multi regression analyses. The results show that individuals in the EU with higher knowledge of environmental problems are indeed more willing to accept cuts in their living standards to protect the environment. However, it also shows that individuals with a higher degree of reciprocity are less willing to accept cuts in their living standards to protect the environment.