Rural and urban adolescents environmental attitudes

Abstract Objective The worldwide intensification of environmental problems has increased political debates and educational concerns about behaviors and citizens’ responsibilities. Studying the factors and dynamics of environmental attitudes is critical for environmental behaviors. However, studies regarding environmental attitudes throughout adolescence and considering rural and urban regions are lacking. This study investigated the environmental attitudes of early and middle adolescents, comparing rural and urban regions. Method The sample consisted of 1,262 students (53.6% women) who completed two environmental attitude inventories: one measuring ecocentrism (sustaining environmental preservation) and another measuring anthropocentrism (sustaining environmental utilization). Results Urban students presented higher anthropocentric attitudes than rural students. Early adolescents scored higher on ecocentric attitudes, whereas middle adolescents scored higher on anthropocentric attitudes. Urban students increased anthropocentric attitudes from early to middle adolescence, while rural students decreased ecocentric attitudes. Conclusion The findings highlight developmental and contextual differences in environmental attitudes, which have implications for education and policy. We discuss recommendations for future research.