Australian residents' attitudes toward pro-environmental behaviour and climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef

Carena J. van Riper, Gerard T. Kyle, Stephen G. Sutton, Jee In Yoon, Renae C. Tobin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Climate changeand associated environmental impacts are increasingly important issues. Effective communication with residents of coastal communities is critical to mitigate and adapt to changing conditions; however, this can be a challenging feat without an understanding of attitudes toward pro-environmental behaviour. Drawing on three dimensions of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this paper: (1) explores the Australian public's perceptions of climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef; (2) segments respondents into homogenous groups based on their environmental attitudes; and (3) profiles the emergent segments using managerially-relevant indicators. Study findings illustrate that respondents can be organised into five distinct segments according to their attitudes toward pro-environmental behaviour that could potentially stem climate change-related impacts. These segments perceive a variety of threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem, underestimate the performance of behaviours that help to mitigate impacts and face a variety of internal and external constraints on behavioural engagement.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)494-511
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Environmental Planning and Management
Volume56
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • environmental attitudes
  • marine protected areas
  • perceptions of climate change
  • theory of planned behaviour

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Water Science and Technology
  • General Environmental Science
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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