Who cares more about the environment?: An empirical study in Vietnam

Abstract

Environmental problems have become one of the top concerns in Vietnam since 2016. This study aimed to investigate what groups of people were most concerned about the environment and to what extent their concerns differed from each other. Logistic regression models were used to perform the analyses. The analysis on the gender - environmental concern relationship indicated that males were more likely to be concerned about the environment than females. The age - environmental concern relationship suggested higher concern levels of younger people as compared to older people. In the examination of the social class - environmental concern relationship, people who were wealthier, well-educated, and had greater occupational prestige tended to have more concerns. People with higher education levels also expressed higher levels of concern toward the environment. People with postgraduate degrees reported the highest level of concern, while people with no formal education showed the least concern. From the perspective of the political involvement - environmental concern relationship, it was shown that while people who were not a member of any organization were the least environmentally concerned, the members of university alumni associations were the most concerned. Finally, the exploration of the residence - environmental concern relationship pointed out that Kinh people were more environmentally concerned than Vietnamese ethnic minority groups, and people in the North Central Coast paid the highest attention to the environment in Vietnam.