How conservative are greenies? Environmental attitudes, conservatism, and traditional morality among University students

Abstract

Although environmentalism is now a major social and political issue in most Western democracies, relatively little is known about the psychological and attitudinal correlates of environmental concern. In this study, the relationship between environmental attitudes, political and economic conservatism, and traditional morality were investigated in a large (N = 621) student sample. We expected and found that greater environmental concern was positively correlated with more radical political views, lack of religiosity, and more libertarian attitudes on various ethical and moral issues. Surprisingly, we also found a small but significant correlation between belief in extremist “doomsday” environmental scenarios and religiosity, suggesting a possible link between these absolutist, “closed” belief systems. Given the parallel rise of environmentalism and conservatism during the past decade, the results suggest that for some, environmentalism may serve as the acceptable focus of general anti-establishment attitudes and ideology in periods of conservatism.