Doctoral Degrees (Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST))

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST)) by Author "Meyer, Corlia"

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    Perceptions of the environment and environmental issues in Stellenbosch, South Africa: A mixed-methods approach
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Meyer, Corlia; Weingart, Peter; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The issue of environmental perceptions is an important research area. Due to increased environmental degradation from human activities, concern for the environment is growing. Successful environmental management cannot be achieved without understanding the perceptions that people have of the environment. If human behaviour towards the environment is to be changed, it is important to know how environmental perceptions are formed and where information about the environment comes from. This research aims to contribute to the literature by examining the public’s perceptions of the environment in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The reasons for and consequences of environmental issues are unevenly distributed around the world, with developing nations being more susceptible to environmental damages. Concern for the natural environment was historically limited to developed nations, but this concern spread globally during the late 20th century. Three waves for environmental concern exist. The first wave (1940 – 1950)was when people realised that the earth has limited resources. During the second wave (1960 – 1970) production and consumption created by-products and waste, and during the third wave (1980 – 1990) specific global environmental problems, such as climate change and ozone depletion, appeared. The globalisation of environmental concern has made the research of environmental perceptions of developing nations crucial. Perceptions of the environment and environmental issues can serve as indicators of actual environmental degradation, it can influence the public’s participation in environmentally friendly activities, and it can influence an individual’s pro-environmental behaviour. To the researcher’s knowledge this is the first study investigating socio-demographic and environmental communication variables influencing the public’s perceptions about the environment and environmental problems, in a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The research questions include: How do the public perceive the environment and environmental problems? Are these perceptions influenced by socio-demographic factors such as gender, ethnic group, age, religious affiliation, education and income? What sources of environmental information do the public use to get informed about the environment? How knowledgeable are individuals about the environment? Is there a relationship between environmental knowledge and information sources used? What are the strongest variables influencing perceptions about the environment? How do publics differ in their perceptions about the environment? The literature review revealed eight hypotheses. Television is the media source that will be most used by the public for information about the environment. Individuals with high levels of education will be more knowledgeable about the environment and view environmental problems as more serious. Individuals that do not belong to a specific religion will be more concerned about the environment. White South Africans will perceive environmental problems as more serious than other population groups. Younger individuals will be more concerned about the environment. A mixed method approach is used for the data collection. Data collection took place in four neighbourhoods in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The first phase uses surveys as a data collection tool. It helps to identify the variables that influence environmental perceptions. Hundred and ninety-one adults from various socio-demographical backgrounds were interviewed. Fifteen interviews with respondents from within the quantitative sample were completed to collect the qualitative data. Respondents from the Stellenbosch public perceived the natural environment it terms of three themes: natural or nature, vegetation and animals. The population did not perceive environmental problems as a serious social problem and ranked crime, poverty and corruption as the three most serious social problems South Africans have to deal with. Of the environmental problems, the respondents perceived water scarcity (drought), climate change and pollution as the top three most severe environmental problems South Africans face. The gender, population group, socio-economic status and level of education of an individual influenced how serious a respondent perceived environmental problems. The sample public have relatively good knowledge about the environment and environmental problems. The population group, socio-economic status and level of education played a role in how knowledgeable an individual is about the environment. The source the respondents use to most to access information about the environment is television. This is followed by personal sources (family and friends) and newspapers. Population group, age and socio-economic status as variables influenced the source an individual used to access environmental information. Two hypotheses were rejected. Age and religion did not influence how serious and individual perceived the environment. Of all the variables, environmental knowledge, gender and the population group of an individual are the variables with the strongest influence on the Stellenbosch sample’s perceptions about the environment. The dissertation also makes a distinction between four different Stellenbosch publics, based on environmental knowledge, environmental perceptions and environmental information sources used. Two of the publics have lower levels of environmental knowledge and perceive environmental problems as less serious. The other two publics have higher levels of environmental knowledge and perceive environmental problems as more serious. Overall, the research has confirmed some previous findings that female, Caucasian individuals with high levels of education and income perceived environmental problems as more serious and are more concerned about the environment. This research should inform environmental conservation policies and management. When policies are created, they should be aimed at those who are less educated about the environment and are less concerned about the environment.