Natur- eller teknikcentrerad miljösyn? : miljöattityder bland kommunala miljövårdstjänstemän 1994 och 2004

Authors

• Ann-Sofie Hermanson

Abstract

In social sciences, there is usually a standard set of variables explaining variations in attitudes and behavior. This article examines the attitudes of environmental civil servants in Finnish mu­nicipalities and considers whether individual characteristics (age, gender, education and type of work) explain their statements. Two surveys, conducted in 1994 and 2004, are discussed to grasp the administrative changes that took place in the Finnish environmental administration and mu­nicipalities in the mid-1990s. After a discussion on ecocentric and technocentric views, key vari­ables are identified. Attention is paid to the influence of the respondents’ young age and high education in either natural sciences or technical sciences. The results point to a decline in ecocen­tric orientation in the period under study.