A NOTE ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN IN A DEVELOPING-COUNTRY - RESULTS FROM AN ISTANBUL SURVEY

A survey conducted in Istanbul (1995) provided data on residents' opin ions about ideas contained in the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Sca le. The MEP scale was commonly accepted by Istanbul respondents, with the result adding to the evidence that considerable environmental conc ern exists in developing countries. Although some of the demographic p arameters were related to the NEP scale, the patterns in the data did not point to any particular demographic group exhibiting higher enviro nmental concern than others. Spatial perception of the environment and environmental problems, however, was linked to environmental concern. The respondents who identified the environment and related problems w ith a more spacious geographical frame were more concerned about the e nvironment. Also, environmental knowledge of the respondents correlate d positively with their environmental concern; the relation was the mo st conspicuous for ecological knowledge and nearly negligible for know ledge about local environmental problems.