A Study of Environmental Attitude of the Citizens of Tabriz Based on New Environmental Paradigm

The relationship between humans and the environment during human life has had many ups and downs. Nature, has been considered sometimes as a source of spiritual inspiration and sometimes as a source of material need and has stimulated many wonders, both hope and fear in human existence. With the increase of urbanization, the appearance of industry and use of technology, face of nature was altered and regardless use of nature for the material purposes overtook spiritual inspiration. With the advent of the first environmental crises this matter was revealed that indiscriminate use of the environment disrupt the network of life and endanger survival of animals and humans. The crisis originated in the attitude, the worldview and human behavior towards the environment. This study based on New Environmental Paradigm and NEP scale has been used to observe environmental attitude of the citizens of Tabriz. Results show that the average of attitude of the citizens in protecting the environment is moderate. Also average of environmental attitudes of citizens based on gender and value orientation include the material and post-material is different. Women and post materialists have more supportive attitude. Between cultural and economic capital and environmental attitudes there is a significant relationship. This means that with the increasing of economic and cultural capital, attitude becomes more supportive. Regression analysis shows that the cultural capital explains approximately eleven percent of the variance of environmental attitude.