SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL-ISSUES - A CASE-STUDY LOOKING AT PEOPLES REPRESENTATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL-ISSUES

The implementation of efficient environmental and waste management pol icies requires a better understanding of how these issues are integrat ed into social dynamics. In particular, we need to improve our knowled ge of social perceptions about these problems. To do this, one can use a methodology based on lexicographical tools. It allows the reconstru ction of actors' representations from in-depth interviews. This study aims to demonstrate the benefits and limitations of such a method. It looks at the perceptions of environment and waste issues of French ind ustrial actors. A common representation has been extracted on the basi s of the categories most present in the discourses. It has then been c ompleted and refined by a deeper examination of relationships between actors, of values underlying the representation, and of its dynamic as pects. The method presented here would be particularly appropriate for comparative analysis between different groups of actors or different cultures.