An integrated theoretical approach to understanding the sociocultural basis of multidimensional environmental attitudes

Various disciplines have contributed to knowledge about complex and multifaceted attitudes about natural resource management regimes. The vast array of previous research has resulted in disparate approaches to understanding and evaluating environmental attitudes and related constructs, which make comparisons across studies and the advancement of knowledge difficult. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, I outline an integrated approach for assessing critical dimensions of environmental attitudes based on underlying values, ecological worldviews, and sociopolitical orientations. With a cognitive hierarchy framework, I specify a variety of attitude objects toward which evaluative judgments should be examined, focusing on the goals, entities, and strategies involved in resource governance. My intent is to enhance the conceptual clarity of research on environment perspectives while providing a comparable but flexible approach to assessing attitudes and their sociocultural basis in a variety of contexts.