Demographics and the Environment (2021)

Our research investigates the effect of various predictors—including age, race, and socioeconomic status—on environmentally–conscious behaviors. Significant barriers to making sustainable choices include higher cost of organic or local food, accessibility to public transportation, and cultural resistance, all of which are potentially magnified by lower socioeconomic status, age, and race. We predict that less affluent people across all age and race indicators will make less environmentally conscious decisions. A survey shared on personal social media platforms will gather age, race, and socioeconomic demographics, and ask respondents questions relating to personal sustainable life choices on a modified Likart scale. Our survey methods mean the pool of respondents is not randomly sampled. Results will be analyzed to examine environmentally conscious behaviors as a function of age, race, and socioeconomic status. Results will provide insight into the prevalence of sustainable life choices, as well as barriers that may exist, in hopes of increasing environmentally conscious behaviors across all predictors. 

• Student(s): Courtney Loffler, Dana Holmund, Eileen Lies
• Project Mentor(s): Katherine Cleary
• L&RF 2021 Presentation-Team Demographics