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Environmental Attitudes and Actions: People's Perceptions of the Effectiveness of their Actions and Chinese Cultural Context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Grace Lai Yau Suk-lin  and
Philip Stimpson
Grace Lai Yau Suk-lin
Affiliation:
Department of Curriculum studies, The University of Hong Kong
Philip Stimpson
Affiliation:
Department of Curriculum studies, The University of Hong Kong
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Abstract

The paper reports a study within the Chinese cultural context of Hong Kong of the influence which people's perception of the probable effectiveness of their actions has on the relationship between attitudes and actions. As expected, respondents with pro-environmental attitudes and a perception that their actions would be effective indicated a likelihood to act in an environmentally responsible manner which was greater than those whose attitudes were not so pro-environmental and whose perceptions were that their actions would not be effective. However, amongst the group of respondents with little indication of pro-environmental attitudes and a perception that their actions would not be effective there were some who, nonetheless, said they would act in environmentally responsible ways. This observation is discussed in terms of a social ethic of conformity, obedience and suppression of personal beliefs.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 13 , 1997 , pp. 55 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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