Natural disasters, environmental values, and the importance of politics: Empirical evidence from worldwide survey data

This study examines how the experience of natural disasters is associated with environmental values, using the Integrated Values Surveys (IVS) which includes more than 600,000 respondents from 116 countries over the period 1981 to 2022. The study looks to expand on previous literature within this field, taking on a broad approach in examining the relationship between natural disasters and environmental values, using individual-level and country-level data from different world regions. Conducted with ordinary least squares (OLS) and probit regression models, the results suggest that the increase in the number of individuals affected by natural disasters has a statistically significant and positive association with pro-environmental values, which are measured through different IVS questions and a self-created index. The study also finds heterogenous results for different world regions and moderating roles of income level, regime type, and cultural value orientations. Moreover, the traditional and causal mediation analysis shows that environmental values, among others, are important mediators to explain the association of natural disasters and the respondents’ reported importance of politics. This added knowledge of how the experience of natural disasters is associated with environmental values, and the importance of politics not only supports previous findings in this area but also can be used for designing economic policies related to disaster awareness and preparedness, and to promote environmental values.