Public attitudes and regional environmental problems: distributions and correlates in a southeastern city. [Knoxville, Tennessee]
A survey analysis was conducted in the spring of 1970 of public attitudes about regional and environmental problems in the metropolitan area of Knoxville, Tennessee. In general, most people believe that environmental or pollution problems are of relatively high importance in the Knoxville area. The principal factor affecting the perception of environmental problems as critical is formal education. Those people with a high school education or higher tend to see pollution as a problem more than non-high school graduates. Most members of the general public could identify major sources of pollution in the Knoxville metropolitan area. Many respondents felt that they personally made significant contributions to local pollution, mostly through driving automobiles. However, most people did not feel that a viable substitute for the automobile was available through public transportation. Few people tended to be inclined to regulate their own activity in order to reduce pollution. Rather they tended to feel that technological solutions should be developed which would spare them the burden of having to give up an extra automobile, limit the size of their families, or change the income tax laws to encourage a stable population size. Most people are not opposed to the general principle of government regulation to achieve environmental quality, but appear to want solutions which demand little of them and place the major burden on technological innovation or on distant corporations and businesses. In general, the public expressed the view that they would be quite willing to support higher personal taxes to bring about pollution control. Although most people view tax increases as inevitable and tend to feel that they are already high, a heavy proportion of the populace express a willingness to pay an additional tax if it would enhance environmental quality. This tendacy is particularly pronounced in the upper education and income brackets.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 7332177
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-NSF-EP-36
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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POLICY AND ECONOMY
POLLUTION
URBAN AREAS
ENVIRONMENT
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TENNESSEE
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