Education level and income are important for good environmental awareness: a case study from south Brazil

Abstract

The relationship between people and the environment is critical for the development of projects and actions towards the sustainable use of nature resources. This study investigated the relationship between a number of socio-demographic variables and environmental awareness in two cities of southern Brazil (Maringá and Sarandí). We found that levels of education and income were positively associated with environmental awareness. Individuals with higher level of education were 3.2 times more likely to have good environmental awareness than individuals with a lower level. Our results contribute to understand social-ecological interactions of urban citizens from this region and to develop management actions to involve urban residents into environmental conservation actions.