Support for environmental protection: An integration of ideological-consistency and information-deficit models

TitleSupport for environmental protection: An integration of ideological-consistency and information-deficit models
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsEhret, P.J., Sparks A.C., & Sherman D.K.
JournalEnvironmental Politics
Volume26
Issue2
Pagination253-277
Date Published11/2016
Abstract

The divergent roles of education in predicting environmental support among liberals, conservatives, and moderates in the United States are explained by integrating ideological-consistency and information-deficit models. Increased political polarization among elites has led to divergent environmental positions advocated by liberal and conservative political and media leaders; it was predicted that education would increase public attention to these elite cues and, consistent with the ideological-consistency model, increased education would lead to attitudes in line with consensual positions endorsed by party elites. Across two nationally representative data sets, higher levels of education were associated with stronger environmental support among liberals and weaker environmental support among conservatives. Moderates were predicted to have fewer elite cues on which to base their attitudes; consistent with the information-deficit model, higher levels of education among moderates were associated with strengthened environmental support. A moderated-mediation model supported the differential application of these two theories.