| Environmental sociologists have developed numerous theories in attempts to determine the predictors of Environmentally Significant Behavior (ESB). However, factors which influence ESB have yet to be reliably pinpointed. In this study, Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory was modified and employed as a conceptual framework in order to assess VBN theory, as well as expand it to incorporate social context. Using 2000 GSS data, a measure of ESB was developed and social contextual variables were selected. OLS regression analysis did not yield many significant findings among the social contextual variables. However, the variables of number of adults in a household (beta = .109) and living in the South (beta = -.272) did yield significant relationships to the ESB scale. Future research would benefit from the inclusion of social contextual variables that were unavailable in the 2000 GSS dataset, such as organizations' behavior and availability of recycling programs, as my results indicate that context does have influence on ESB. |
