Formation of Environmental Anxiety and Responsibility Judgments

distribution, the author found that younger and higher educated people and maybe richer people are inclined to believe the environmental issues will get even worse in the future, than the older, less educated and rich people in Hangzhou.

From the above analysis, the author found a general conclusion that younger, higher educated and richer people are more inclined to give a negative prediction towards future environmental changes. Gender difference has very weak influence, except in Beijing, where males showed more worry for future environment. However, it should be noted that the distributions of demographic factors in the three surveyed regions are somewhat close to the original point, which indicates a weak relation. This makes it difficult to find more detail relations between demographic factors with environmental prediction. This may be because of the too detailed options (improve dramatically, improve, no change and get worse), although the author has already combined the options of “get worse” and “get worse dramatically” into one category.

As a summary of the above analysis, the author found that, different from the conclusion that derived from the researches concerning people’s subjective well-being, younger, richer and better educated people, and males in some areas generally showed more “unhappiness” toward the environmental change, by the fact that this group of people are inclined to think the environmental quality worsened in the past, are dissatisfied with the present environment, and also tend to hold a negative prediction that environmental issues will get worse in the future.

they are supposed to affect people’s commitment and behaviour intention twards the environment. The hypothesis is that people with stronger environmental consciousness will show more anxiety to the environmental deterioration, and will be more likely to recognize their own responsibilities in protecting the environment.

About the influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in surveyed areas, the analysis results are shown in Figure 5-6abc

Figure 5-6a Influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in rural areas

Regarding the influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in rural areas, in Figure 5-6a, the higher anxiety (very much and somewhat) are locate in the upper left quadrant.

And “corporation” and “government” also located in this same quadrant. Lower anxiety (slightly and not at all) is located in the lower right quadrant. And “citizen” also located in the same quadrant. From this distribution, the author found that people who are more anxious about the

Male

Female

18-34 years

35-49 years

50 years and over Low education Middle education

High education

Low income MIddle income

High income Very much

Somewhat

Slightly Not at all Government

Corporation

Citizen

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5

Axis 2 : Eigenvalue = 1.26 (21%)

Axis 1 : Eigenvalue = 1.816 (30.3%)

F_Gender F_Age F_Education F_Income

Environmental Anxiety (AC) Environmental responsibility (AR)

environment tend to ascribe the environmental responsibility to the government and corporations.

And people with less anxious tend to ascribe the environmental responsibility to the citizens.

From the positions of demographic factors in the figure, the author also found in rural areas the middle-aged (35-49 years) people, middle-educated and middle-rich people tend worried more about the environment, and also this group of people is more inclined to ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to the government. On the other side, the old (50 years and over) people, low-educated and low-rich people tend worried less about the environment, and they are inclined to ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to the citizens. And in rural areas, male are more anxious about the environment than female.

Figure 5-6b Influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in Beijing

Regarding the influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in Beijing, in

Male

Female 18-34 years

35-49 years

50 years and over Lower education

Middle education High education

Low income

Middle income High income

Very much Somewhat

Slightly

Not at all Government

Corporations Citizens

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5

Axis 2 : Eigenvalue = 1.223 (20.4%)

Axis 1 : Eigenvalue = 1.814 (30.2%)

F_Gender F_Age F_Education F_Income level

Environmental Anxiety (AC) Environmental responsibility (AR)

Figure 5-6b, the most anxiety (very much) and “corporations”, together with middle age (35-49 years), middle education and middle income are located in the lower part of the figure;

“somewhat” and “slightly” anxiety, together with male, young age (18-34 years), high education and high income, as well as the option of “citizens” are located in the upper left quadrant. The least anxiety (not at all) is located in the right side of Axis 1, and together with “government”, low income, low education and old age (50 years and over) which are located in the upper right quadrant are taken as one group. From this distribution, the author found that in Beijing, middle-aged, middle-rich and middle-educated showed the most anxiety to the environment, and they tend to scribe the most important environmental responsibility to the corporations. Young generation, male, and high-educated, high-rich people showed somewhat or slightly anxiety, and they tend to scribe the most important environmental responsibility to the citizens. And old people, low-educated and low-rich people are inclined to don't worry about the environmental deterioration at all, and they believe it is the government should take the most important environmental responsibility.

Figure 5-6c Influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in Hangzhou

Regarding the influence of demographic factors to the formation of AC and AR in Hangzhou, in Figure 5-6c, the most anxiety (very much) and “corporations” “citizens”, together with high income are located in the lower left quadrant. The other three levels of anxiety, together with

“government” are located in the upper right quadrant. However, from relative positions with the demographic factor, “somewhat” is closed to the middle age (35-49 years), “slightly” is closed to the middle education and middle income, and “not at all” is closed to low income. From this distribution, the author found that in Hangzhou, high-rich people hold the most anxiety toward the environmental deterioration, and they believe corporations and citizens should take the most importance responsibility in protecting the environment. People hold the other three levels’

anxiety tend to ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to the government. If we connect each category of the variables by the line, the author found some tendencies that income and education are positively correlated with environmental anxiety. That is with the increase of

Male

Female 18-34 years

35-49 years

50 years and over Lower education Middle education

High education Middle income Low income

High income

Very much

Somewhat Slightly

Not at all Government

Corporations Citizens

-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

Axis 2 : Eigenvalue = 1.333 (22.2%)

Axis 1 : Eigenvalue = 1.762 (29.4%)

F_Gender F_Age F_Education F_Income level

Environmental Anxiety (AC) Environmental responsibility (AR)

education and income people are inclined to be more worried about the environmental deterioration. And compared to the younger people, the old people are inclined to be less anxious about the environmental deterioration. The influence of gender in Hangzhou is not obvious.

From the above analysis, the author found that both in rural areas and in Beijing, the middle social class (include middle age, middle education and middle income) showed the most anxiety;

while in Hangzhou a generally positive relation between income and education with environmental anxiety, and a weak negative relation between ages with environmental anxiety exist. Generally speaking, the younger, higher educated and richer people are inclined to worry more about the environment in surveyed regions. However, different from the two cities, people who ascribed the most important responsibility to governments in rural areas also tend to hold much anxiety, while in surveyed cities, government-dependent attitude links to less anxiety.