Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
Fall 2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Department
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Advisor(s)
Chris Colocousis
Joseph Spear
Keo Cavalcanti
Abstract
This present study examines the relationships between environmental risk perceptions and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors within the theory of the risk society. This quantitative study was conducted online, with a sample size of 218 undergraduate college students from James Madison University. Environmental risks were measured at the societal and individual levels, as well as within five separate risk categories. As expected, I found positive relationships between these risks and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, however the relationships between individual and societal risk perceptions were different than I anticipated. Where I expected individual risk perceptions to drive both pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes, societal risk perceptions actually held a more positive relationship with pro- environmental attitudes. Pro-environmental attitudes appear to partially moderate the relationship between risk perceptions and pro-environmental behaviors, while risk perceptions also partially moderate the relationship between attitudes and behaviors. These results are consistent with previous studies, which suggests that college students are engaged with the risk society, and their future involvement may influence societal practices on recognizing and handling our environmental risks.
Recommended Citation
Pei, Julia Spring, "Environmental risk perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors: A study of college students living in a risk society" (2013). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 460.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/460
