Toronto Metropolitan University
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Trends in public attention to the environment from 1956 to 2005

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posted on 2021-05-23, 14:41 authored by Alison Holmes
A continuous measure of public environmental concern was created using the appearance of environmental content in mass-circulation magazines between January 1956 and December 2005 to investigate Downs' "Issue Attention Cycle", the public response to physical and non-physical episodic events, and the relationship between sectors of environmental concern. The results indicated that environmental concern follows discernible cycles peaking in 1970, 1990, and 2000. Each cycle exhibits an asymmetrical decrease in concern resulting in a ratcheting of environmental concern upwards over the study period. A multivariate regression analysis was used to test for physical and non-physical episodic events was not found to be a strong predictor of environmental concern. The dynamics of these cycles of environmental concern will have far-reaching implications for policy makers.

History

Language

eng

Degree

  • Master of Applied Science

Program

  • Environmental Applied Science and Management

Granting Institution

Ryerson University

LAC Thesis Type

  • Thesis

Thesis Advisor

Ron Pushchak

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    Environmental Applied Science and Management (Theses)

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