Thesis-2010-Vickers.pdf (6.3 MB)
Thinking globally acting locally : an overview of local environmental activism in Britain
thesis
posted on 2013-04-22, 12:45 authored by Robert VickersOver the last four decades national environmental groups have become an
important means of political participation for many British citizens. Since the
mid-1980s these organizations have established a number of local groups.
There are still some gaps in our understanding of these groups, particularly
relating to participation at the grass-roots level. This investigation examines
the British environmental movement, focusing on those who become
coordinators of local groups, and attempts to find the correlates of their
environmental activism. The research reviews the existing empirical data
relating to environmental activism, and theoretical accounts relating to
participation. It also considers the significance of the emergence of postmaterial
values, and looks at the theoretical framework that informs
environmental activism.
The hypothesis that the conservation and ecology movements are effectively
sub-groups within the broader ecology movement is tested, and the thesis
explores the possibility that those who participate in these movements have
different socio-demographic and cognitive profiles, and methods of activism.
The history and development of environmentalism in Britain is discussed,
revealing the fundamental differences between the conservation and ecology
movements. To test the hypothesis a national, internet based, questionnaire
was conducted. In total, 380 activists were surveyed, all of whom were
coordinators of local environmental groups that were affiliated to one of six
nationally prominent environmental organisations. The findings of the
research indicated that although many national environmental organizations
seem to have become closer together in terms of their core beliefs and
objectives. There are some notable differences between conservationists and
ecologists at the grass-roots level, particularly in relation to sociopsychological
variables, and means of participation.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Politics and International Studies
Publisher
© Robert VickersPublication date
2010Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.EThOS Persistent ID
uk.bl.ethos.540819Language
- en