WP22/06: Environmental Concerns Amidst a Global Pandemic: New Zealanders' reflections on detrimental environmental impacts and visions for a post-COVID world

Working Paper 22/06

Komathi Kolandai
Barry Milne
Martin von Randow

COVID-19 (declared by the World Health Organization as a global pandemic in early 2020) has become one of the most broadly researched topics in recent history. A small portion of scholarly publications within the environmental sciences have focused on the causes of the pandemic and its negative and positive environmental implications. By comparison, only a smattering of studies have measured COVID-19-related environmental perceptions and attitudes.

In the present study, we will analyse findings from a cross-sectional survey in which we incorporated measures to gauge perceptions about the pandemic's adverse environmental outcomes (5 items) and actions for a more environmentally-friendly post-COVID world (5 items). Specifically, we will test the following hypotheses:

• More than 50% of the sample would express a high level of concern (Mean ≥ 8 on a 10-point rating scale) about COVID-19-related environmental impacts and risks (H1). This is considering previous surveys, which suggest that most New Zealanders are concerned about environmental issues and hold mild ecocentric values (Gendall, et al., 2011; Lovelock, et al., 2013).
• Over 50% in the sample would provide a high-end agreement (Mean ≥ 8 on a 1–10 agreement scale) to statements about actions and changes for a greener post-COVID world (H2). In a previous survey, most New Zealanders were supportive of a green COVID-19 economic recovery plan to address climate change (Thaker & Menon, 2020). A majority were also aware of the connections between anthropogenic environmental impacts and the risk of new infectious diseases (Thaker & Menon, 2020).
• The level of agreement to the recommendation for a move towards plant-based agriculture post-COVID would be lower than that expressed for the other four Greener post-COVID world items (H3). This is considering that animal agriculture is New Zealand’s primary industry and a majority of New Zealanders regard meat-eating as an expression of national pride (White & Potts, 2008).
• We expect that the level of concern expressed over “COVID-19 taking media and political attention away from environmental concerns” would be lower than that expressed for other COVID-19-related environmental impacts (H4). Globally, coverage of climate change began to increase again in the last half of the year 2020, while coverage of COVID-19 declined (Pearman, et al., 2021) suggesting a temporary shift in media attention.
• Pre-existing pro-environmental dispositions would consistently be associated with significantly higher levels of concern about COVID-19 environmental impacts (H4) and stronger support for a greener COVID-19 recovery (H5).

Additionally, without prior hypotheses, we will explore which demographic variables influenced ratings of the two item sets.

Item sets embedded in the ISSP Environment 2021 survey.

International Social Survey Programme

Social Attitudes Survey New Zealand

Gendall P, Healey B, Robbie P, Gendall K, Patchett S, Bright N (2011). New Zealanders and the Environment. Palmerston North: Massey University.

Lovelock B, Jellum C, Thompson A, Lovelock K (2013). Could immigrants care less about the environment? A comparison of the environmental values of immigrant and native-born New Zealanders. Society & Natural Resources 26(4), 402–419, doi:10.1080/08941920.2012.697979.

Pearman O, Boykoff M, Osborne-Gowey J, Aoyagi M, Ballantyne AG, Chandler P, Daly M, Doi K, Fernández-Reyes R, Jiménez-Gómez I, Nacu-Schmidt A, McAllister L, McNatt M, Mocatta G, Petersen LK, Simonsen AH, Ytterstad A (2021). COVID-19 media coverage decreasing despite deepening crisis. The Lancet Planetary Health 5(1), e6–e7, doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30303-X.

Thaker J & Menon V (2020). Aotearoa New Zealand Public Responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change. Palmerston North: Massey University, http://hdl.handle.net/10179/15566.

White M & Potts A (2008). New Zealand Vegetarians: At odds with their nation. Society & Animals 16(4), 336–353.