According to multiple 2004 polls, 60 percent of Americans think U.S. environmental quality is fair or poor and nearly as many are convinced that the environment is growing worse. While just under half of Americans view themselves as environmentalists and even greater numbers support environmental goals, this affinity and concern is not often translated into personal action or voting behavior. The Environmental Attitudes and Behavior Program strives to address this discrepancy between Americans’ environmental values and subsequent personal and political decisionmaking.

This Program consists of three connected strands:
1) Which environmental terms and themes resonate with individuals?
2) How is the environment used as an issue in political and social marketing campaigns?
3) How do attitudes and behaviors shift with time and context?

Each (strand) of the project contributes to a coherent picture of attitudes on environmental issues. The goal of the Program is to inform policymakers and NGOs on how their constituents value the environment and to provide tools for improved communication and better engagement.

See Related Information for results of the Polls.