Black , White , or Green : The Powerful Influence of Ethnicity on Pro - environmental Attitudes and Behaviors

While the recent environmental movement has enjoyed much success in generating proenvironmental attitudes in the public, it has not found similar success when it comes to generating pro-environmental behaviors. This phenomenon is supported by ample research suggesting that attitudes are not effective predictors of behaviors, especially in the case of environmental issues. This research examines the attitude-behavior relationship through a cultural lens by comparing the pro-environmental dispositions and behaviors of five key ethnic groups. Specifically, the study tested 2,500 subjects for cultural identification, agreement with the New Ecological Paradigm, and self-reported environmental behaviors. The research found significant differences between the ethnic groups on attitude-behavior correlations and environmental dispositions. These findings indicate that ethnicity is not only a strong predictor of environmental disposition, but also of the likelihood a person will convert pro-environmental attitudes into pro-environmental behaviors.