Texas Latino College Student Attitudes Toward Natural Resources and the Environment

Transcription

1 Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management Article Texas Latino College Student Attitudes Toward Natural Resources and the Environment ANGELICA LOPEZ, Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA CRUZ C. TORRES, Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA BARRY BOYD, Department of Agricultural Education, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA NOVA J. SILVY, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA ROEL R. LOPEZ, 1 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA ABSTRACT Latinos in the United States are an increasing segment of the population and are becoming important stakeholders in the management of natural resources. Although Latinos have been included in attitudinal research on environmental concerns, few studies have focused exclusively on Latino attitudes toward natural resources and the environment. We surveyed Texas college and university students of Mexican descent (n ¼ 635) to determine their environmental concerns. Using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), we determined an environmental concern score for each respondent and compared this index to several demographic variables. We found that gender, a political candidate s environmental position, mother s education, combined parental income, and, to a lesser degree, the number of grandparents born in the United States and religiosity (church attendance), were important model variables. We hypothesized that acculturation would be an important factor in predicting NEP scores; however, acculturation level was not an important predictor in our study, which we attribute to both the nature of our sample (i.e., highly acculturated college students) and small sample sizes of less-acculturated college students. We recommend that future research consider determining the importance of acculturation in Latino attitudes toward natural resources and the environment. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 71(4): ; 2007) DOI: / KEY WORDS acculturation, attitudes, environment, Latinos, Mexican-Americans, natural resources, Texas. Natural resource managers continually face challenges in managing public natural resources, particularly with emerging stakeholders. A fundamental problem for natural resource agencies is recognizing and considering stakeholder interests in the management and policy decision-making processes (Bromley 1991, Decker et al. 2001). Ultimately, stakeholder perspectives and attitudes will affect the future of natural resource management (Susskind and Cruikshank 1987, Decker et al. 2001). Understanding differences in stakeholder attitudes and knowledge is necessary for the overall success and acceptance of management decisions made by wildlife agencies. Moreover, understanding stakeholder attitudes and knowledge is essential in the successful implementation of public outreach programs. Partnerships formed from these outreach programs will enhance the management of our natural resources and increase support for natural resource agencies and their missions (Harris 1985, Duda and Brown 1999, Decker et al. 2001). Latinos in the United States are an increasing segment of the population and an important stakeholder group in natural resource management (Lopez et al. 2005). Texas, USA, currently has the second largest Latino community in the country. Latinos are expected to comprise nearly 60% of the Texas population by 2040, and the majority is of Mexican descent (U.S. Census Bureau 2000, Murdock et al. 2003). Although the percentage of United States Latinos who have earned a college degree has increased from 5.6% in 1980 to 8.9% in 2000, they continue to lag behind non- Latino whites (30% and 20.3%, respectively, for non- Latino whites) in educational attainment (U.S. Census 1 keydeer@tamu.edu Bureau 2000). The percentage of Texas Latinos who have earned a bachelor s degree or higher are below the national average: 32.9% for non-latino whites and 9.2% for Latinos. In 2028, the percentage of United States Latino males and females who earn a bachelor s degree is projected to be 13.6% (31.3%, non-latino white) and 16.9% (30.3%, non-latino white), respectively (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). Previous studies have found that higher educational attainment is associated with more environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviors (Klineberg et al. 1998). Thus, understanding knowledge and attitudes of highly educated Latinos toward natural resources will enhance the ability of agencies to engage these new stakeholders in conservation efforts (Lopez et al. 2005). Studies have been conducted to identify and ameliorate specific stakeholder natural resource management concerns (Weigel and Weigel 1978). The rapid growth of the Latino population in the United States, specifically in the Southwest, has become increasingly important because of the influence Latinos will have on the future allocation and management of natural resources (Lopez et al. 2005). Few studies have focused exclusively on determining Latino environmental attitudes in the United States (e.g., Noe and Snow 1990, Schultz et al. 2000), with even more limited research in Texas (Klineberg 1998b, Lopez 2005). Furthermore, the acculturation level (Marín and Marín 1991) of first-generation Latinos differs substantially from third-generation Latinos because of exposure in the United States education system and labor force participation. This may further affect language, income, family values, and political activity (Burroughs and Reeff 1996, Marín and Gamba 1996, Schultz et al. 2000). Thus, given these geopolitical differences, Lopez et al. Latino Environmental Attitudes 1275

2 Table 1. New Ecological Paradigm survey questions a used in determining Latino environmental concern among Texas, USA, Latino students, Questions 1. We worry too much about the future of the environment and 8. To help solve the earth s environmental problems, the United States and not enough about prices and jobs today. other rich countries will have to reduce their consumption of resources. 2. People worry too much about human progress harming 9. When humans change the natural environment, it often produces the environment. disastrous results. 3. There are more important things to do in life than protect 10. We are not harming the environment when we do normal things, the environment. like driving cars and running air conditioners. 4. Many of the claims about environmental threats are exaggerated. 11. People worry too much about threats to the global environment. 5. Too much emphasis these days on conserving resources, not 12. Plants and animals exist primarily to be used by humans. enough on using them for current needs. 13. There is no point in doing what I can for the environment unless 6. Humans do not need to adapt to the natural environment others do the same. because they can change it to suit their needs. 14. It is too difficult for someone like me to do much about the environment. 7. We humans are approaching the limits of earth s room 15. I do what is right for the environment, even when it costs more money and resources. or takes up more time. a Likert format: 1 ¼ strongly disagree, 2 ¼ disagree, 3 ¼ neither agree nor disagree, 4 ¼ agree, 5 ¼ strongly agree. it is not surprising that cultural differences within the same Latino subgroup may exist. To date, few studies have specifically accounted for acculturation in Latino attitudes in natural resource and environmental studies. The objective of our study was to survey Texas Latino college students of Mexican descent to identify variables that may influence their environmental attitudes, knowledge, and concerns toward the environment and natural resources, while accounting for characteristics unique to the Latino community, namely acculturation and generation. Because highly educated individuals are associated with more environmentally favorable attitudes and behaviors and tend to participate in environmental issues, this information would be useful in the management of natural resources, in program development and implementation, and, more specifically, for programs that target this emerging stakeholder group (Lopez et al. 2005). STUDY AREA We surveyed Texas Latino community college and university students from 7 academic institutions: Coastal Bend Community College (Alice, TX), 1,600 students; Coastal Bend Community College (Beeville, TX), 1,300 students; Coastal Bend Community College (Kingsville, TX), 2,500 students; El Centro Community College (Dallas, TX), 7,000 students; El Paso Community College (El Paso, TX), 15,000 students; and University of Texas at Brownsville (Brownsville, TX), 10,000 students. We were interested in sampling only college students because we wanted to control for education as an independent variable. We selected these community colleges and universities because they were located in highly Latino-populated areas (all considered Hispanic Serving Institutions,.50% of students Latinos). Thus, our study sample was a purposive sample (Babbie 1990) because it focused exclusively on identifying the natural resource and environmental attitudes of highly educated Texas Latinos of Mexican descent. METHODS Survey Development We developed an index of environmental concern consisting of questions from 3 commonly used indices of environmental concern: General Social Survey (2003), New Ecological Paradigm (NEP; Dunlap et al. 2000), and the Texas Biennial Environmental Survey (Klineberg 1998a, b). For the purposes of this paper, we will focus on our findings from the NEP scale. We selected 15 questions based on their consistency across the 3 commonly used indices and their relevance to regional, cultural, language, and social characteristics of the target population (Table 1). Responses for the NEP were in Likert format (1 5) with 1 ¼ strongly agree, 2 ¼ agree, 3 ¼ neither agree nor disagree, 4 ¼ disagree, and 5 ¼ strongly disagree. We separated the variables included in our survey into 3 categories: demographic, sociopolitical, and sociocultural. Demographic variables included 1) ethnicity (Latino, non- Latino; used to select a Latino-only sample), 2) gender (M, F), 3) age (20 yr, yr, yr, yr, 51 yr), 4) religious preference (Catholic, Protestant, non-christian, other), 5) religiosity (i.e., church attendance: never,,1 time/yr, 1 2 times/yr, several times/yr, once a month, 2 3 times/month, nearly every week, every week, several times/ week), 6) combined parent income ($9,999, $10,000 24,999, $25,000 49,999, $50,000 74,999, $75, ,999, $110,000), 7) father s education level (less than high school, high school diploma or equivalent, less than college [with or without a high school diploma or equivalent, plus technical school completion or college attendance], college degree, and graduate or professional degree), and 8) mother s education level (scale identical to father s education). Sociopolitical variables included 1) environmental identification (active environmentalist, sympathetic, neutral, unsympathetic, don t know), 2) political affiliation (Republican, Democrat, Independent, other), and 3) political candidate s position on environmental issues (very important, somewhat important, not very important). Sociocultural variables included 1) generation (no. of grandparents born in United States), and 2) acculturation level (Level I, very Mexican-oriented; Level II, Mexican-oriented to approximately balanced bicultural; Level III, slightly Anglo-oriented, bicultural; Level IV, strongly Anglo-oriented; and Level V, very assimilated, Anglicized). We determined acculturation level using Scale I of the Accul The Journal of Wildlife Management 71(4)

3 Table 2. Significant model parameter estimates for Texas, USA, Latino students surveyed, Variable b P Odds ratio 95% lower CL 95% upper CL Gender F * Religiosity Attend church 1 2 times/yr * Environment position Very important 0.931,0.001* Somewhat important * Mother s education Less than high school * High school diploma * Less than college degree * College degree * Combined parental income $25,000 49, * $75, , * Grandparents (born in United States) * * Significant at P, 0.05 for comparisons among model variables. turation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA- II), a 2-subscale behavioral measure of acculturation, as described by Cuéllar et al. (1995). Texas A&M University s Institutional Review Board (protocol no ) approved study protocols. Data Collection In spring 2005, we compiled addresses for all faculty at academic institutions targeted in our survey. We sent an e- mail message, requesting assistance in conducting our survey during regularly scheduled class times, to all faculty members. Faculty members that responded to the initial contact and that agreed to participate chose to administer the surveys themselves. We sent each faculty member instructions on how to conduct the survey and an informed consent form for each student participant, along with the appropriate number of surveys, and a prepaid return envelope. Data Analysis We conducted a reliability analysis of the NEP using SPSS (Version 11.5, Chicago, IL). We selected surveys where respondents identified themselves as Latino; we used selected surveys for further analyses. We calculated an NEP score for each Latino student participant. We compared the level of environmental concern (NEP, determined by summation and reverse summation of each participant s response to 15 environmental concern questions) among Texas Latino students to 12 demographic variables using ordinal logistical regression in SPSS. We calculated odds ratios for significant (P, 0.05) model variables (Hosmer and Lemeshow 2000). The odds ratio is one set of odds divided by another. For example, an odds ratio of 2.5 for men (gender is predictor) in having a heart attack (response variable) is 2.5 times greater when compared to women (Hosmer and Lemeshow 2000). In other words, the odds ratio compares one unit of change in one predictor relative to another. RESULTS Surveys Collected We mailed surveys (n ¼ 1,353) to 27 Texas community college and university professors who were willing to participate in the study. Of these, 7 professors did not return surveys and 20 professors returned completed surveys (n ¼ 755, final response rate 56%). Of the 755 surveys received, 16% (n ¼ 120) were from non-latino participants. The remaining surveys (84%, n ¼ 635) were from Latino participants whose demographic profile was the following: age (x ¼ yr, SD ¼ 7.90), gender (69% F), classification (25% freshman, 39% sophomore, 21% junior, 12% senior, 3% other), religion (76% Catholic), political affiliation (48% Democrat), and combined parental income (x ¼ $30,000, SD ¼ $4,500, n ¼ 420). Our NEP survey reliability analysis found the scale to be appropriate (Gall et al. 2003, Cronbach s a ¼ 0.687). Demographic Predictors Of the 12 independent variables tested for predicting NEP scores, only 6 were important in predicting environmental concern among our sample of Texas Latino college students: gender (F, P, 0.011), religiosity (i.e., church attendance, 1 2 times/yr, P, 0.049), political candidate s position on environmental issues (very important, P, 0.001; somewhat important, P, 0.036), combined parental income ($25,000 $49,999, P, 0.045; $79,000 $109,999, P, 0.005), mother s education level (less than high school, P, 0.018; high school diploma, P, 0.008; less than college degree, P, 0.004; college degree, P, 0.035), and generation (2 grandparents born in the United States, P, 0.036; Table 2, Fig. 1). Survey results indicate that women had a higher environmental concern (approx odds) compared to men (Table 2). Survey respondents that identified a political candidate s position on environmental issues as important had a greater environmental concern (approx odds) than those who did not consider it to be important (Table 2). We also found that as the Lopez et al. Latino Environmental Attitudes 1277

4 Figure 1. New Ecological Paradigm scale mean score for important demographic variables of Texas, USA; Latino students surveyed: gender, religiosity (church attendance), political candidate s environmental position, mother s education, combined parental income, and grandparents born in the United States. The political candidate s environmental position was based on the following question: How important is a candidate s position on environmental issues in influencing the way you vote? 1278 The Journal of Wildlife Management 71(4)

5 students combined parental income increased, NEP values also increased (approx odds, Table 2). Finally, NEP values decreased with an increase in mother s education level (approx odds, Table 2). Although generation (P, 0.036) and religiosity (i.e., church attendance, 1 2 times/yr, P, 0.049) differed for some classifications (Table 2), overall these 2 demographic variables were less important compared to other model variables. DISCUSSION We found that Texas Latino college students environmental attitudes were associated with demographic variables (gender, religiosity, combined parental income, mother s education level), sociopolitical variables (political candidate s position on environmental issues), and sociocultural (generation) variables. Our findings for gender (Fig. 1) were congruent with findings reported by Bradley et al. (1997), Earle (1998), and Klineberg et al. (1998) for other Latino populations. The significance of gender is important, for example, if a natural resource agency wishes to implement a new program or propose a new resource policy. Our study results suggest that, compared to men, women would likely be more receptive to programs or policies that promote environmental stewardship. Knowledge that Latino college students were influenced by a candidate s stance on environmental issues (Fig. 1) can be useful to natural resource agencies who wish to engage this segment of the Latino community in program development and implementation. The Latino college students we surveyed and who were supportive of political affiliations with a strong platform on environmental issues will likely be easier to engage. Our findings were not consistent with those of Earle (1998), who found that parental attitudes may influence their children s attitudes toward natural resources (Fig. 1). Originally, we hypothesized that as maternal educational attainment increased, her environmental attitudes would also increase (Klineberg et al. 1998), thus creating a direct positive influence on participant environmental attitudes. There are several possible explanations for this relationship. For instance, it is plausible to consider that participants mothers did not originally harbor high environmental attitudes, thus explaining participants lower environmental attitudes. Although this explanation follows Earle s (1998) findings, measures of maternal environmental attitudes are needed. Based on our study findings that environmental attitudes were lower for participants whose mothers were highly educated, we suggest future research exploring these relationships be conducted. Earle (1998) also found that income strongly influenced attitudes toward natural resources (Fig. 1). Knowing that parents combined annual income is important to imparting environmentally sympathetic attitudes, agencies should consider targeting lower-income individuals and making participation more accessible when developing programs for the Latino community. Study results suggest that combined parental income should be considered when developing programs for Texas Latino college students. This study finding, although consistent with previous findings (Klineberg et al. 1998), is counterintuitive given our results for mother s education. We hypothesized that as mothers educational attainment increased, combined household income would increase; hence, we surmised that participants environmental attitudes would also increase. In our sample, there does not appear to be a direct link between maternal educational attainment, combined household income, and participants environmental attitudes; thus, we recommend further research to clarify this finding. Finally, although we had hypothesized that religiosity and acculturation (Fig. 1) would have a significant influence on environmental concern among Latino college students, we found the number of grandparents born in the United States (measure of generation in our study) had a weak influence on participant s environmental concern level, as did religious participation. We assert that multiple years of total immersion in the United States education system and mastery of the English language (Cuéllar et al. 1995, Marín and Gamba 1996) are factors that influence and increase college student acculturation levels. Thus, we propose that our study sample, although it may be representative of Latinos with higher educational attainment, is not representative of the Texas Latino population in general. To obtain a more representative sample and overcome the shortcomings of our study, we recommend using a sampling method that incorporates a mixed-method, multisite approach that will allow the research to capture the diversity that exists within the Latino community. MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS The rapid growth of the Texas Latino college-age population has many implications for natural resource management agencies, ranging from advertising to program implementation. Current programs must be made more attractive and accessible to this segment of the Latino community (Stodolska 1998, More and Stevens 2000, Lopez 2005). Increasing the availability of Spanish-language materials that are sensitive to the Latino community s cultural and regional differences, the most frequently suggested method to consider, is not enough to engage this emerging stakeholder. Our study suggests that gender, maternal educational attainment, combined parental income, and a political candidate s environmental position influence Latino college student attitudes toward the environment and natural resources. We propose that future studies and programs incorporate a combination of demographic, sociocultural, and sociopolitical characteristics, as more research in this area will help clarify influences on Latino attitudes toward natural resources and the environment. We also recommend that future research consider the relationship between maternal educational attainment and her children s level of environmental concern, because maternal educational attainment inversely influenced participant environmental attitudes in our study. Lopez et al. Latino Environmental Attitudes 1279

6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank B. West and 2 anonymous reviewers for constructive criticism in the preparation of this manuscript. The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, the Texas A&M University system, and the Harvey Weil Sportsman Conservation Award provided funding. We also thank the Mexican American Latino Research Center for support of our study. LITERATURE CITED Babbie, E Survey research methods. Wadsworth, Belmont, California, USA. Bradley, J. C., T. M. Waliczek, and J. M. Zajicek Relationship between demographic variables and environmental attitudes of high school students. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 26: Bromley, D. W Environment and economy: property rights and public policy. Blackwell, Oxford, United Kingdom. Burroughs, T. M., and M. J. Reeff Latino outreach: understanding and targeting the U. S. Latino population. International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Washington, D.C., USA. Cuéllar, I., B. Arnold, and R. Maldonado Acculturation rating scale for Mexican Americans II: a revision of the original ARSMA scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 17: Decker, D. J., T. L. Brown, and W. F. Siemer Human dimensions of wildlife management in North America. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Duda, M. D., and K. L. Brown Hunters and anglers awareness of and attitudes toward wildlife in Texas. North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference Transactions 66: Dunlap, R. E., K. D. Van Liere, A. G. Mertig, and R. E. Jones Measuring endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: a revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues 56: Earle, J. L A cross-cultural study of individual attitudes toward natural resources and natural resources development, San Luis Valley, Colorado. Dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA. Gall, M. D., J. P. Gall, and W. R. Borg Educational research: an introduction. Seventh edition. Allyn and Bacon, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. General Social Survey GSS cumulative codebook, Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA. Harris, L Current public perceptions, attitudes and desires on natural resource management. North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference Transactions 50: Hosmer, D. W., and S. Lemeshow Applied logistic regression. Second edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York, USA. Klineberg, S. L. 1998a. Environmental attitudes among Anglos, Blacks, and Hispanics in Texas: has the concern gap disappeared? Race, Gender and Class 6: Klineberg, S. L. 1998b. Texas Biennial Environmental Survey. Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA. Klineberg, S. L., M. McKeever, and B. Rothenbach Demographic predictors of environmental concern: it does make a difference how it s measured. Social Science Quarterly 79: Lopez, A Texas Latino knowledge and attitudes toward natural resources and the environment. Thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA. Lopez, R. R., A. Lopez, R. N. Wilkins, C. C. Torres, R. Valdez, J. G. Teer, and G. Bowser Changing Hispanic demographics: challenges in natural resource management. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33: Marín, G., and R. Gamba A new measurement of acculturation among Hispanics: the bidimensional acculturation scale for Hispanics (BAS). Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 18: Marín, G., and B. Marín Research with Hispanic populations. Sage, Thousand Oaks, California, USA. More, T., and T. Stevens Do user fees exclude low-income people from resource-based recreation? Journal of Leisure Research 32: Murdock, S. H., S. White, M. N. Hoque, B. Pecotte, X. You, and J. Balkan The new Texas challenge: population change and the future of Texas. Texas A&M University, College Station, USA. Noe, F. P., and R. Snow Hispanic cultural influence on environmental concern. Journal of Environmental Education 21: Schultz, P. W., J. B. Unipan, and R. J. Gamba Acculturation and ecological worldview among Latino Americans. Journal of Environmental Education 31: Stodolska, M Assimilation and leisure constraints: dynamics of constraints on leisure in immigrant populations. Journal of Leisure Research 304: Susskind, L., and J. Cruikshank Breaking the impasse: consensual approaches to resolving public disputes. Basic, New York, New York, USA. U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Census Bureau population survey data. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C., USA. Weigel, R. H., and J. Weigel Environmental concern: the development of a measure. Environment and Behavior 10:3 16. Associate Editor: West The Journal of Wildlife Management 71(4)