Wealth, Wisdom, and the Will to Protect
An Examination of Socioeconomic Influences on Environmental Behavior
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2064825 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hussain Mohi Ud Din Qadri (The University of Melbourne), Muhammad Bilal Zafar (0000-0001-6329-303X, University of Technology Malaysia), Hassnian Ali (0000-0001-9183-9933, Hamad bin Khalifa University, corresponding author), Muhammad Tahir (0000-0002-6208-6298), Muhammad Junaid Tahir (0000-0002-0335-6681, Minhaj University Lahore) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 178 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 653-683 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Indicators Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0303-8300 • E-ISSN: 1573-0921 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11205-025-03563-4 |
| OpenAlex | W4408206084 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 49 |
This study explores the influence of socioeconomic factors-specifically income, education, and employment status-on environmental protection preferences across 62 developed and developing nations. Using a comprehensive dataset of over 78,000 respondents (World values survey-Wave 7), we examine how variations in socioeconomic status shape environmental perceptions and pro-environmental behaviors. The results reveal that education is a consistently strong predictor of pro-environmental attitudes. At the same time, income shows a more complex relationship, with higher-income individuals in wealthier countries less likely to prioritize environmental protection. Contrary to previous research, urbanization is associated with slightly weaker environmental preferences, suggesting that economic pressures in urban areas may override sustainability concerns. Gender differences also emerged, with women displaying stronger pro-environmental preferences than men. These findings offer important theoretical contributions, challenging traditional assumptions about the Environmental Kuznets Curve and the role of urbanization in environmental awareness. The study also provides practical implications for policymakers, emphasizing the need for targeted environmental education and region-specific sustainability strategies
Economic geography · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental education · Geography · Human geography · Kuznets Curve · Population · Public economics · Socioeconomic status · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Sustainability · Urbanization · Demography · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Psychology · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment · Ecology
Do green finance and innovation matter for environmental protection? A case of OECD economies
Personal and social factors that influence pro-environmental concern and behaviour: A review
Environmental education outcomes for conservation
ICT and environmental sustainability
Inequality, Cooperation, and Environmental Sustainability
Data Analysis Using Regression and Multilevel/Hierarchical Models
The costs and benefits of environmental sustainability
Analyzing three Zeros (zero poverty, unemployment, and carbon emissions) in Asia and the Pacific region
Perception of pro-environmental behavior
Religiosity and Islamic work ethic
Examining the Relationship between Environmental Education and Pro-Environmental Behavior in Regular Basic Education Students
Economic development, environmental justice, and pro-environmental behavior
Economic dependency and environmental attitudes in Turkey
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |