Gender, ethnic identity, and environmental concern in Asian Americans and European Americans

Abstract

There are relatively few articles in sociology and psychology on gender, ethnicity, and the environment, yet ethnic and gender neutral approaches to sustainability may be incomplete. We studied gender, ethnicity, and environmental concern with an internet sample of Asian American women (n=157) and men (n=69), and European American women (n=222) and men (n=99). Participants completed the New Ecological Paradigm measure (NEP; Dunlap et al., 2000), the value bases of environmental concern (Schultz, 2000), and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised (MEIMR; Phinney & Ong, 2007). A 2 ( ethnicity) x 2 (gender) AN OVA found no gender or ethnic differences on the NEP A 2 ( ethnicity) x 2 (gender) MAN OVA with the three value bases as dependent variables found significant effects for ethnicity and gender. Ethnic identification enhanced cultural influences on environmental concern. Findings are discussed in terms of the marketing of environmental sustainability to address climate change and other environmental risks.

Citation

Burn, Shawn M.; Winter, Patricia L.; Hori, Brittany; Silver, N Clayton. 2012. Gender, ethnic identity, and environmental concern in Asian Americans and European Americans. Human Ecology Review 19(2): 136-145.