Oriental Disadvantage versus Occidental Exuberance

Appraising Environmental Concern in India — A Case Study in a Local Context

Bibliographic Data

ID2354730
AuthorsDeba Prashad Chatterjee (University of Calcutta, corresponding author)
Year2008
Volume23
Issue1
Pages5-33
Publication date2008-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0268-5809 • E-ISSN: 1461-7242
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0268580907084384
OpenAlexW1968032700
LanguageCA
Citations received10
References cited51

This exploratory study is an attempt to appraise concern for environmental pollution in India, in a local context. Taking into account a possible East-West difference in conceptualizing environmental concern, it attempts to understand the role of different sociodemographic variables in predicting 'environmental concern' in an Indian context. The much exercised HEP-NEP distinction developed in the West seems inappropriate in the Indian context due to wide differences in traditions and the dominant worldviews. Collecting data from a purposive household survey of 375 respondents, an understanding of major sociodemographic determinants of environmental concern using correlation and multivariate regression analysis has been attempted. The findings are also compared with results from other studies in the West on the whole along with the Health of the Planet (HOP) Survey, 1993 findings on 'Willingness to Pay' for India, in particular. The study exhibits a significant positive association of environmental concern with residence, education and income, supporting social class analysis based on a postmaterialism thesis. While age fails to show any significant influence, 'caste', a traditional Indian institution, reflects a positive association supporting the elitist bias hypothesis of environmental concern. The study emphasizes the need for further empirical explorations in this regard in order to examine environmental concern in India in a more effective way

Caste · Demographic economics · Development economics · Disadvantage · Economics · Empirical research · Geography · Political science · Population · Residence · Social science · Socioeconomic status · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Demography · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment

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