Free-Market Ideology and Environmental Degradation: The Case of Belief in Global Climate Change
Abstract
The effects of support for free-market ideology and environmental apathy were investigated to identify some bases for not believing in global climate change. A survey of community residents' ( N= 185) beliefs about global climate change also assessed ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, perceived knowledge about climate change, and self-efficacy. The beliefs that global climate change is not occurring, is mainly not human caused, will also have positive consequences and that weaker intentions to undertake ameliorative actions were significantly associated with greater support for free-market ideology, greater environmental apathy, less ecocentrism, and less self-efficacy. About 40% of the variance in each belief and 56% of the variance in the behavioral intention was explained by these factors. The results suggest that the relation between support for free-market ideology and the beliefs about global climate change is mediated by environmental apathy.
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The potential predictor constructs were all based on established instruments that have been repeatedly used in previous research.
“The potential predictor constructs were all based on established instruments that have been repeatedly used in previous research”
From The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in Predicting Rejection of Science (2013) · cites this paper as [4]
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- Authors
- Heath, Y., & Gifford, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Victoria (CA)
- ORCID
- Gifford, Robert
- Venue
- Environment and Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-01
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 48-71
- ISSN
- 0013-9165 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-390X
- OpenAlex
- W2121261177
- Cited by
- 473
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 19.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environment and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental Education and Sustainability
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
- Keywords
- free market ideology, environmental apathy, climate change denial, ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, self-efficacy, climate change knowledge, environmental attitudes
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