Cognitive Integration of Social and Environmental Beliefs*

This paper examines the extent to which acceptance of dominant social beliefs and conflicting environmental beliefs by individuals helps to explain inconsistencies among environmental attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, it is hypothesized that individuals who demonstrate consistency in their acceptance of key social and environmental beliefs will also demonstrate greater consistency in their environmental attitudes and behaviors. Data from a mail survey of Washington state residents are used to examine this issue. The results suggest modest support for the hypothesis as higher correlations among environmental attitudes and behavior occur for groups who evidence greater integration of important social and environmental beliefs.