DUMPBUSTING - SYMBOLIC OR SITUATIONAL POLITICS

Political orientations and behavior are commonly explained in one of t wo ways: as either symbolic politics, i. e., by values learned early i n life, or situational politics, i. e., by current conditions or situa tions. This case study of the siting of a low-level nuclear waste faci lity integrates the two theoretical approaches into a single empirical model to compare their relative effects on political attitudes and be havior. The authors find that both help to explain environmental orien tations and protest activities.