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A note on attitudes and knowledge concerning environmental issues in Sweden.
1Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 49, SE-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden. mattias.boman@ess.slu.se
Journal of Environmental Management
|February 17, 2007
Summary
Swedish citizens highly value environmental protection and national environmental objectives, showing broad support for societal interventions over individual actions. Public knowledge varies across environmental issues like ozone layer function versus pesticide use.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Policy
- Public Opinion Research
- Societal Impact
Background:
- National environmental objectives are crucial for policy development.
- Understanding public perception is key to effective environmental strategies.
- Swedish environmental policy aims to address diverse ecological concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To gauge public prioritization of environmental objectives within national spending.
- To assess public willingness to differentiate between various environmental issues.
- To compare public support for individual versus societal environmental actions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mailed survey responses from a Swedish population sample.
- Focus on questions related to national environmental objectives and tax allocation.
- Statistical evaluation of respondent priorities and knowledge levels.
Main Results:
- Over 90% of respondents consider environmental protection a high priority for tax allocation.
- Respondents rated most national environmental objectives as important (over 80%).
- Public support is higher for societal interventions (e.g., policy, technology) than individual actions.
Conclusions:
- There is strong public consensus on the importance of national environmental objectives in Sweden.
- Public knowledge varies significantly across different environmental issues.
- Policy and technological solutions receive greater public endorsement than individual behavioral changes for environmental improvement.
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