Using latent class analysis to produce a typology of environmental concern in the UK

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Factor analysis is often used to study environmental concern. This choice of methodology is driven by predominant theories that tie environmental attitudes to the multidimensional construct of environmental concern. This paper demonstrates that using a clustering method such as latent class analysis can be a valuable tool for studying environmental attitudes as they exist within a given population. In making the case for the value of latent class analysis in this context, we examine UK public concern for the environment and how this concern is associated with pro-environmental behaviours. To do this we use responses to DEFRA's 2009 Survey of Public Attitudes and Behaviours towards the Environment, which is still the most nationally representative survey of its type in the UK. Grouping respondents according to homogenous response patterns, we identify four classes of people, defined by their concern for the environment: Pro-environment, Neutral Majority, Disengaged and Paradoxical. To understand how these attitude classes are associated with behaviour and socio-economic status, class membership probability is regressed onto education, income and social grade, as well as 16 measures of environmental behaviour related to transport, food, recycling and home energy conservation. The results contradict most previous research with the environmental attitude classes by being highly predictive of environmental behaviour.

Original languageEnglish
JournalSocial Science Research
Volume74
Pages (from-to)210-222
Number of pages13
ISSN0049-089X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 08.2018

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Ablation Study of a Multimodal Gat Network on Perfect Synthetic and Real-world Data to Investigate the Influence of Language Models in Invoice Recognition
  2. Implementation of Chemometric Tools to Improve Data Mining and Prioritization in LC-HRMS for Nontarget Screening of Organic Micropollutants in Complex Water Matrixes
  3. Theory-based course design for professional master's degree program in business engineering
  4. Value of semi-open corridors for simultaneously connecting open and wooded habitats
  5. Covert and overt automatic imitation are correlated
  6. Grounds different from, though equally solid with
  7. Solvable problems or problematic solvability?
  8. Using Reading Strategy Training to Foster Students´ Mathematical Modelling Competencies
  9. Evaluating the (cost-)effectiveness of guided and unguided Internet-based self-help for problematic alcohol use in employees
  10. The Use of Anti-Windup Techniques in Didactic Level Systems
  11. Data quality assessment framework for critical raw materials. The case of cobalt
  12. Taming a Wicked Problem
  13. Predicting recurrent chat contact in a psychological intervention for the youth using natural language processing
  14. Spatio-Temporal Convolution Kernels
  15. Predicting the future performance of soccer players
  16. Response of saproxylic beetles to small-scale habitat connectivity depends on trophic levels
  17. The too-much-precision effect: When and why precise anchors backfire with experts
  18. Infinite Mixtures of Markov Chains
  19. Construal level theory
  20. Method of Artificial Vision in Guide Cane for Visually Impaired People
  21. Empowered or informed? Seeking to mitigate gender differences in first-offer assertiveness through pre-negotiation interventions
  22. Enhancing the transformative potential of interventions for the sustainable use of natural resources
  23. Harnessing place attachment for local climate mitigation?
  24. Estimation of minimal data sets sizes for machine learning predictions in digital mental health interventions
  25. Knowledge Spaces of Globalization
  26. A web- And mobile-based intervention for comorbid, recurrent depression in patients with chronic back pain on sick leave (get.back)
  27. Negotiating boundaries through reality shows
  28. Giving is a question of time: response times and contributions to an environmental public good
  29. The effect of complacency potential on human operators’ monitoring behavior in aviation
  30. Communicating change, transition, and transformation for adaptation in agriculture: a comparative analysis of climate change communication in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  31. Predictive modeling in e-mental health
  32. Reduction of capital tie up for assembly processes
  33. Orientations for co-constructing a positive climate for diversity in teaching and learning
  34. where paintings live
  35. Where Paintings Live
  36. Towards an Extended Enterprise Architecture Meta-Model for Big Data
  37. The hidden hand that shapes conceptual understanding: Choosing effective representations for teaching cell division and climate change
  38. Predator diversity and abundance provide little support for the enemies hypothesis in forests of high tree diversity
  39. Das AGG in der Beratungspraxis
  40. The GLOBTEC Tech Adoption Tracker
  41. Embodiment of Science in Science Slams.

Press / Media

  1. Weihnachtsfeiern