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Почвенники ― за почву! Консервативные установки и проэкологическое поведение в России
This article aims to explore the relationship between conservative attitudes and pro-environmental behavior in Russia. It is generally believed that pro-environmental behavior is determined by post-materialistic values (according to R. Inglehart's theory) or emancipative values (according to K. Welzel's theory). Many studies have shown that "liberals" are significantly less indifferent to environmental issues than "conservatives". However, relatively recently, conservative activists, right-wing populists, and nationalists have become interested in the "green agenda", including in Russia, which inevitably affected the environmental policy being pursued. At the same time, the question of the extent to which changes at the level of elite discourse in the field of environment protection lead to changes in attitudes and behavior on the mass level has not been fully studied. Is it possible to find a positive relationship between conservatism and pro-environmental attitudes and behavior at the mass level: in other words, is it possible to identify a pattern of "environmental conservatism" (eco-conservatism) in Russia? The goal of this work is to identify the presence of eco-conservatism at the mass level in Russia and to test its connection with pro-environmental attitudes and behavior. We use data from the survey "Environmental Values and Environmental Behavior in the Regions of Russia", which was conducted in 6 regions of Russia in the spring-summer of 2024 (N = 1950). Using the methods of correlation and regression analysis, we found that one of the types of eco-conservatism, "eco-traditionalism", is significantly and positively associated with a sense of personal responsibility for nature, eco-consumption, and environmental participation. These findings are important in terms of understanding the value determinants of pro-environmental behavior in modern Russia.