Objectif
To understand the differences between citizens' attitudes towards the environment in France, England and Sweden. The study is aimed at increasing our knowledge of the way in which the notion of environment and environmental problems come to be understood by the citizen.
The historical, philosophical and social settings are given particular attention in the research. A survey of citizens attitudes in Norwich, England and its surrounding countryside are compared with Linkopping, Sweden and the areas nearby. The case studies in France examine in depth a broad range of attitudes that contribute to the concept of environment, considering different territorial conditions, and primary the distinction between urban and rural. The study examines:
i) the way in which attitudes are influenced by external factors such as the media, local administration, public interest groups and direct experience of environmental issues. This is assessed through both written and verbal responses to questionnaires, in addition to historical documentary material;
ii) word use by press, particularly the use of "image making terms" and their influence on the transfer of environmental information to the citizen using content analysis of the written responses to the questionnaires and documentary materials;
iii) history, using newspapers and popular journals along with the archival material from the 20th C, relating to the way citizens and/or groups have approached local administrations in respect to environment and conservational issues.