Evidence of Decline in Public Concern with Environmental Quality: A Reply.

Sociologists suggest that the substantial decline in public support for environmental protection on the basis of a panel study of Washington State residents may be an artifact of the research design employed. The available evidence does not support the existence of the strong age-environmental concern relationship assumed by sociologists, an assumption central to their emphasis on the effects of maturation. Apparently recognizing that readers might be skeptical that a maturation of only 4 years could account for the reported decline in environmental concern.