Environmental Attitudes: 20 Years of Change?

Abstract

Earth Day 1970 is considered by many to be the major starting point of the modern environmental era. Where are we today—two decades later? The environmental problems faced by society today will most likely require personal changes in lifestyles as part of their solution. A 1990 study was conducted to compare attitudes of Cornell University students with similar studies done in 1971 and 1981. This trends analysis focused on what students were willing to give up by measuring changes in attitudes toward 35 specific items. In addition, a New Environmental Paradigm growth and technology scale was used to test the hypothesis that people who see benefits of economic growth or have faith in technological solutions are less willing to make personal sacrifices.