ISSP2020: Environment IV

The seventh International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) survey by COMPASS Research Centre, University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau. More information on our surveys, including data visualisations, can be found at International Social Survey Programme - The University of Auckland.

A verbose rundown on topics covered follows.

Attitudes towards environmental protection. Preferred government measures for environmental protection. Responsibility of the government to reduce income differences among the citizens; highest and next highest priority in the own country; attitude to modern science (scale); attitude to the environment (scale).

Judgement on the contrast of environmental protection and economic growth; economic growth harms the environment; willingness to pay higher prices and higher taxes or to accept reductions in standard of living for the benefit of protection of the environment; self-classification of participation in environmental protection (scale); estimation of dangerousness of air pollution caused by cars for the environment, for the respondent and their family.

Classification of air pollution from industrial waste gases, pesticides and chemicals in agriculture, water pollution and a rise in the world´s temperature caused by the greenhouse effect, the modification of genes of certain crops as dangerous for the environment; preference for the regulation of environmental protection by the government, the population or the economy; estimation of the efforts of NZ to protect the world environment; more effort for the environment by business and industry, people in general or the government; attitude towards international agreements for environmental problems that each country should be made to follow; agreement with poorer countries to make less effort than richer countries to protect the environment; economic progress will slow down without better protection of the environment.

Trust in institutions; frequency of own efforts to sort glass or tins or plastic or newspapers for recycling; frequency of car trips and flights (unusual measurements during COVID); membership in an environmental protection organization; personal environmental political activities in the last five years through participation in signing petitions, giving donations to environmental groups as well as participating in demonstrations.

Observations of positive environmental changes during COVID lockdowns; concerns around environmental impacts of items specific to pandemic times; opinion on global changes that could be made in a post-COVID world.

Demography: age; sex; marital status; steady life-partner; years in school; current employment status; occupation (ISCO-08); sector of employment; nature of employment; number of employees; hours worked weekly; supervisor function; earnings of the respondent; family income; religious denomination; attendance of religious services; union membership; party affiliation (left-right); size of household; type of community: urban-rural; ethnic affiliation of respondent and household members.