Half Of Americans Believe Economic And Environmental Goals Are Aligned
As the economic crisis continues, some other issues may be put on the back burner as the government focuses on getting the economy back on its feet. One such issue could be environmental conservation, but 46% of Americans say that the issue of environmental conservation is something that is more important to them personally than it was a few years ago while 47% say it is no more or less important. Just 7% of Americans say it is less important to them. Furthermore, most people do not believe the government needs to choose between the economy and the environment and that the government should be making more of an effort to be environmentally conscious. [Excerpted from report]
According to these survey results from Harris Interactive, people in the U.S. seem to be doing more with respect to the environment; 45% are making more of an effort to be environmentally conscious than they were a year ago and 51% say they are doing about the same.
Attitudes differ according to political ideologies; 59% of Democrats say that environmental conservation is more important to them, while 52% are making more of an effort to be environmentally conscious. On the other hand, 58% of Republicans say environmental conservation is no more or less important to them, while only 29% say it is more important.
Half of those in the U.S. believe the government is making the same amount of effort to be environmentally conscious as it did one year ago, while 35% believe the government is making more of an effort than a year ago. However, 66% believe that governments should be making more of an effort than they were one year ago.
Slightly more than half of people in the U.S. (53%) say that, with the weakening economy, governments should focus on economic growth and environmental issues should become a secondary priority, while 37% believe that the environment should remain an equally high priority.
When asked to choose between economic and environmental goals, 51% believe economic and environmental goals are often aligned, while 31% believe that one must choose between these two goals; 18% of U.S. adults say that they are unsure how to choose between economic and environmental priorities.