Texas Survey: Environmental Concerns Rise Dramatically

CONTACT: Michael Cinelli

PHONE: (713) 831-4794


E-MAIL: mcinelli@rice.edu

TEXAS SURVEY: ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS RISE DRAMATICALLY

Environmental pollution concerns among Texans rose
dramatically during the past two years, and consensus is at an all-time high
about the need to protect the global environment, according to the 1996 Texas
Environmental Survey.

“The proportion of Texans believing that pollution is `not much of a problem’
in their area declined significantly from 61 percent in 1994 to 54 percent in
1996,” said Rice University sociology professor Stephen Klineberg, who has
conducted the biennial survey since 1990. “The respondents in the latest survey
were also consistently more likely than in 1994 to be concerned about air and
water pollution, about the management of hazardous wastes and exposure to
dangerous substances, both in their own communities and in the state of Texas.

“The data clearly indicate that generalized concerns about environmental
pollution have increased substantially in Texas during the past two years.”

Survey interviews were conducted in Spanish and English from Nov. 14 to Dec.
4, 1996, by Telesurveys of Texas, a Houston-based research firm. A
representative sample of 1,001 Texans from across the state participated in
interviews lasting an average of more than 18 minutes. The questions focused on
a wide variety of issues relating both to environmental concerns and political
issues.

Other highlights of the 1996 survey include:

• Perhaps because of growing economic insecurities, there are signs of even
  more resistance than in earlier years to suggestions of higher prices or
  increases in personal taxes in order to fund pollution control efforts. Only 44
  percent of respondents in this year’s survey were prepared to pay $200 more each
  year for things they buy if price increases were the result of new pollution
  controls. That figure was 54 percent in 1994 and 63 percent in 1990.

• Texans are also more reluctant than ever to support any increase in taxes to
  pay for greater pollution controls. The majority of respondents in the 1996
  survey are no longer in favor, as they were in previous surveys, of new taxes on
  coal and oil consumption “in order to reduce the emissions that are thought to
  cause global warming.” In addition, fully 68 percent of residents in this
  automobile-dependent state (it was 64 percent in 1994, 61 percent in 1992, and
  62 percent in 1990) are opposed to higher gasoline taxes.

• Meanwhile, a greater majority than in 1994 were convinced that environmental
  improvements will create more jobs and help the economy: 65 percent agreed with
  this statement in this year’s survey compared to 60 percent in 1994. Only 18
  percent (compared to 28 percent in 1994) believed instead that improving the
  environment will slow economic growth and cost jobs.

“Most striking of all,” Klineberg said, “is that Texans today are more
concerned than ever before about threats to the global environment.”

• Only 39 percent in the 1996 survey (down from 43 percent in 1994) agree that “people worry too much about threats to the global environment.” By the decisive
  margin of 60 percent to 34 percent, Texans today reject the claim that “plants
  and animals exist primarily to be used by humans.” In 1994 they were less
  divided on this issue-54 percent to 42 percent. And in a question asked for the
  first time, respondents in this fossil fuel, energy state are clear (by 69
  percent to just 17 percent) that if a new utility plant is to be built in their
  area, it should use “renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy,” rather
  than “traditional energy sources, such as coal and oil.”

  Klineberg will present his survey results today at the De Lange – Woodlands
  Conference being held at Rice University. The conference is cosponsored by Rice
  University’s Energy and Environmental Systems Institute and the Houston Advanced
  Research Center.

  Copies of the survey are available from the Rice University News Office by
  calling (713) 831-4795.

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