Study of the relationship between environmental attitudes and sustainable consumption among citizens of Isfahan

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental attitudes and sustainable consumption. By random multi-stage cluster sampling, a survey is conducted in the city of Isfahan among 981 residents 18 years old and older. To measure environmental attitudes, the NEP scale is used here. Software SPSS and Amos are used to analyze the data. Results show that the scale of New Ecological Paradigm is an appropriate instrument to measure environmental attitudes of adults in Isfahan. Results show significant relationship, r = 0.295, between environmental attitudes and sustainable consumption. Individuals with higher environmental attitudes do more sustainable consumption acts. People with university education have more sustainable consumption acts in comparison with ones who have diploma and lower education. Women do more sustainable consuming acts than men. Individuals who are the owner of the house are more sustainable than tenants in consumption acts. Results of the multi-variable linear regression show that environmental attitudes has the most powerful effect on sustainable consumption and then respectively, ownership of the house, gender and education has the most powerful effects on sustainable consumption. The adjusted R square of the model is 0.102 and these variables together explain 10.2 percent of the variation of sustainable consumption. Air pollution, drought and water shortage are some of the most important environmental issues of the city of Isfahan. Importance of consuming acts of individuals and the role of their environmental attitudes in it shows that it is needed for further research in this field. Informing people about environmental issues and their role in environmental protection, changing their environmental attitudes and encouraging them to do sustainable (consuming) acts, and also providing suitable grounds for sustainable (consuming) acts need further investment and policymaking in the field.