EFFECTS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: ANTALYA CASE IN TURKEY

With the reflection of environmental problems directly on human life quality, there has been an increase attention in the people’s response towards these problems. Defined with the individual and political extend, environmental attitude is regarded as the comprehension of the importance of not damaging environment and using it in sustainable way for the amelioration of environmental problems. Therefore improvement of environmental attitude can motivate active participation of people in restraining environmental problems and can ensure environmental auto-control in the community. The main objectives of the study which was carried out 2005 in Antalya; a) to indicate the level of environmental attitude of individuals towards environmental problems and, b) to examine the relationship between socio-economic characteristics and environmental attitude Questionnaire based statistical study was used in stead of standardised forms and a face to face survey was conducted with 512 people in urban area. As a result environmental attitude level of inhabitants of Antalya city was found to be “medium” in 5.9%, while “high” in 24.2%, “low” in 18%, “very high” in 3.1% and “very low” in 0.8% and socio-economic characteristics were found to be effective on environmental attitude. Chi-square analyses have revealed that women, people with higher income, people participated in afforestation activities, people having courses on environmental and nature protection and people having membership in environmental non-governmental organisations showed higher level of environmental attitude than other groups.