2021 journal article

Pro-Environmental Sustainability and Political Affiliation: An Examination of USA College Sport Sustainability Efforts

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH, 18(11).

By: J. Casper nโ€‰, B. McCulloughโ€‰* & D. Smith*

co-author countries: United States of America ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ
author keywords: politics; fan behavior; collegiate sport; environment; sustainability; sport ecology
MeSH headings : Educational Status; Humans; Politics; Social Behavior; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
Source: Web Of Science
Added: June 21, 2021

Political ideology is one of the most powerful predictors of perceptions about environmental sustainability and related behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate how sport fansโ€™ sustainability-specific values, perceptions, and norms related to awareness, engagement, and influence of USA collegiate sport sustainability efforts based on political affiliation, accounting for age and gender. Data were collected using an online survey distributed to season ticket holders after the 2019 college football season that featured three sponsored sustainability initiatives at each home game. Multivariate analysis of variance and chi-square difference tests found that self-identified Democrats reported significantly higher pro-environmental values and norms, but sustainability program engagement, sponsored initiatives awareness, and influence of initiatives on behavior were politically neutral. Path analysis found that ascription of responsibility was a significant predictor of sustainability-related engagement and behaviors for both Independents and Republicans. The results and discussion sections highlight how academics and practitioners can account for political affiliation when creating campaign messaging for environmental initiatives.