Social Determinants of Environmental Concern: Gender, Income and Education

This study aims to explore the effects of gender, income and education level on environmental concern. This aim is based upon a general understanding that environmental problems and the reasons behind them have to be scrutinized in urban areas for a sustainable world. In order to crystallize and concretize the issue, an empirical study has been conducted in a developing site; an urban transformation settlement of Ankara; Çukurambar in which people from different income and education levels live. The number of squatters, which is considered to be the houses of lowincome level group, determined the sample size for each group. Therefore, this research has been done with 64 participants from different education (primary-high school, university or higher) and income levels (low-middle-upper-middle-high income). They have been selected through stratified random sampling and convenience sampling methods. A questionnaire which includes questions about both demographic information; education, income, family population etc. and environmental issues has been made. The answers have been measured through SPSS program. The results derived from correlation tables and T-tests show that gender has no significant effect on environmental concern in this case. Considering the profile of the families in this settlement, this insignifant result has been interpreted and linked to the mixed social roles of men and women. Education level has a partial effect on people in terms of environmental consciousness, however, it increases people’s interest and make them watch programs and follow the news about environmental issues. The most significant determinant of the selected variables is the income level. It is revealed that the high income group is significantly different. People, who belong to high income level, show less concern about environment. The results of the study also revealed that intellectual transformation of the site has not been as rapid as the physical urban transformation in this case.