Political Beliefs as a Moderator for Predicting Environmental Citizenship through Environmental Education and Environmental Literacy

Mykolas Simas Poškus ()
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Mykolas Simas Poškus: Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kristijono Donelaičio Str. 58, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Promoting environmental citizenship can be a strong positive force toward addressing our current environmental issues. Informed individuals that act in pro-environmental ways both publicly and privately, as well as engage in civic action aimed at addressing environmental issues, are a substantial force for positive change. However, there is a well-known political divide between the political left and political right, where left-leaning individuals tend to engage more in environmental action that right-leaning individuals. The present study explores whether environmental education and environmental literacy might hold the key for right-wing participation in environmental citizenship. A representative sample of 700 Lithuanian emerging adults (20–39 years of age, mean age 30.6 years, 50% female) was used in the present study. Participants filled in measures of their political orientation, environmental citizenship, environmental literacy, and environmental (self-)education. The results showed that, as expected, left-leaning views were positively associated with environmental citizenship, but when interactions between political orientation and environmental literacy as well as environmental (self-)education were introduced, right-leaning views tended to increase the association between environmental citizenship and environmental literacy as well as environmental (self-)education. The results show a promising outlook toward using quality education to promote environmental citizenship among right-leaning individuals.

Keywords: left-wing; right-wing; political beliefs; environmental citizenship; literacy; education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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