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Community Attachments as Predictors of Local Environmental Concern

The Case for Multiple Dimensions of Attachment

Illinois State University

Brian W. Eisenhauer

Plymouth State University

Richard S. Krannich

Utah State University

This article conceptualizes two distinct dimensions of community attachment—socially based attachment and attachment to a community’s natural environment—and examines their connections with attitudes about local environmental issues. The findings indicate that the two dimensions of attachment are distinct and relate differently to environmental concern. In cases where the social attachment dimension is a statistically significant predictor of attitudes toward local environmental issues, the issues are representative of community culture and identity or health. In contrast, when natural environment attachment is a statistically significant predictor of local environmental concern, the topics reflect issues involving resource protection. Building on the previous work of Vorkinn and Riese, this study further clarifies that community-focused factors may be more useful variables for understanding attitudes toward environmental issues than sociodemographic ones.

Key Words: community attachment • environmental concern • environmental attitudes

American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 50, No. 2, 142-165 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0002764206290630


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