Print Email Facebook Twitter A new tool to map the major worldviews in the Netherlands and USA, and explore how they relate to climate change Title A new tool to map the major worldviews in the Netherlands and USA, and explore how they relate to climate change Author De Witt, A. (TU Delft BT/Biotechnology and Society) de Boer, Joop (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) Hedlund, Nicholas (University of London, Institute of Education) Osseweijer, P. (TU Delft BT/Biotechnology and Society) Date 2016-09-01 Abstract For addressing climate change, public support for changes in policy is needed, as well changes in individual lifestyles. Both of these appear to be intimately related with people's worldviews. Understanding these worldviews is therefore essential. In order to research and 'map' them, we translated the theoretical 'Integrative Worldview Framework' (IWF) into an empirical, quantitative approach. We constructed a worldview-scale aiming to distinguish between four major worldviews - labeled traditional, modern, postmodern, and integrative - and explored their interface with opinions and behaviors with respect to climate change. The survey was conducted with representative samples of citizens in the Netherlands and the USA (n = 527 and n = 556). The hypothesized worldviews were found in the data with a reasonable degree of reliability, especially in the Dutch sample. We also found consistent relationships between these worldview-clusters and a range of opinions, political priorities, and behaviors. In both countries postmoderns and integratives displayed significantly more concern about climate change as well as more sustainable behaviors, compared with moderns and traditionals. The implications of these findings for environmental policy and social science are noteworthy. Subject Climate changeEnvironmental behaviorsIntegrative worldview frameworkIntegrative worldviewsModernPostmodernSustainable lifestylesTraditionalWorldviews To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e081be0d-cc7f-4d18-9bbb-a43cef5b57f2 DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2016.05.012 ISSN 1462-9011 Source Environmental Science & Policy, 63, 101-112 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2016 A. De Witt, Joop de Boer, Nicholas Hedlund, P. Osseweijer Files PDF 1_s2.0_S1462901116301794_main.pdf 560.33 KB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:e081be0d-cc7f-4d18-9bbb-a43cef5b57f2/datastream/OBJ/view