APPLES AND ORANGES - PROBING THE ATTITUDE-BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIP FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

This paper contends that the environment is a domain in which attitude s do not predict behaviours very well. After reviewing evidence of low association, I argue that the findings are not a result of poor metho dology. Rather, the environment is a synthetic macrocategory that does not fulfil any of the three criteria that are necessary for strong as sociations between attitudes and behaviour. The paper goes on to argue that the attitude-behaviour model misconceives the social structural basis of most environmental impacts and should be replaced with a more macro approach that focuses on collective actions. To this end, I rec onceptualize environmental public opinion so that its potential impact on political debates can be addressed.