The Social Bases of Environmentalism in Australia

Interpretations of social and political movements as reflecting social cleavages, especially 'class bases', have formed the backbone of political sociology. Accordingly, Western environmental movements are often explained in terms of their alleged class and generational bases. This research assesses social base explanations of support for environmental new politics in Australia. Using nationally representative survey data, it examines the impact of (new) class, status, generation/cohort, and other aspects of social location on environmental concerns and support for environmental groups. Although some social location effects are apparent, they have limited utility for 'explaining' environmental new politics in Australia. While the impact of social location variables are generally weak, along with postmaterialist value orientations and consumption of high culture, they have a moderate effect on the propensity to be environmentally active.