Values & Environmental Perspectives (HL IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Understanding Values

What are values?

• Values are qualities or principles that people believe have worth and importance in life

  • They guide our behaviours, attitudes and decisions

  • Examples include honesty, integrity, fairness and compassion

Influence of values

• Values affect people’s priorities, judgments, perspectives and choices

  • They are deeply personal but are also influenced by many different cultural and social factors

  • For example, in some cultures, respect for elders is highly valued, shaping how individuals interact within society

  • The values of sustainability and conservation drive movements like Fridays for Future, led by Greta Thunberg, advocating for urgent action on climate change

Values in community

• Our values are shaped by and shared within our communities

  • They are reflected in how we communicate and interact with others, both within our own community and with external communities

  • For example, a community that values environmental sustainability may organise clean-up events or support green policies

Values in organisations

• Organisations also have values, which can be seen in their communication and actions

  • These values are often expressed through advertisements, social media, policies and organisational decisions

    • For example, a company that values diversity and inclusion may have policies supporting equal opportunities and representation in their workforce

  • Companies like Patagonia demonstrate values of environmental stewardship through initiatives like donating a portion of profits to environmental causes

Tensions from different values

• Different values often lead to tensions between individuals or between organisations

  • Conflicts can happen when important values clash, like when some people want to freely express themselves but others want to be respectful of different cultures

  • In multicultural societies, navigating these tensions requires understanding and respecting diverse values

Value Surveys

Understanding perspectives on environmental issues

• Values surveys can investigate the perspectives of a social group towards various environmental issues

  • They can help us to understand how different individuals or communities view and prioritise different environmental concerns

  • For example, a survey may explore attitudes towards renewable energy adoption, waste reduction, or conservation efforts

  • Other surveys may ask about attitudes towards using public transportation to reduce carbon emissions

Effective design of value surveys

• A well-designed environmental value survey is able to take different viewpoints into account and looks at the whole range of opinions within a group about environmental matters

  • The results of an effective survey should be able to give insights into the varying attitudes, beliefs and values that influence how people perceive and respond to local and global environmental challenges

Implementation of surveys

• Surveys, questionnaires, or interviews can be designed and conducted in order to gather data on environmental attitudes

  • Using online survey tools can be very useful for:

    • Collecting data from a wider audience

    • Collecting a greater volume of data

    • Collecting data in a shorter amount of time

    • Efficient analysis of data

• Closed-ended questions are good for quantitative analysis (i.e. they provide structured data that can be easily quantified and analysed statistically)

• Closed-ended questions are those that provide respondents with a fixed set of options to choose from

• Examples include multiple-choice questions, rating scales, and Likert scale items

  • For example, in a survey about environmental attitudes, closed-ended questions could include:

    • Which of the following renewable energy sources do you believe is most effective in reducing carbon emissions? (a) Solar (b) Wind (c) Hydroelectric (d) Geothermal

    • Indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement: "Using public transportation is an effective way to reduce air pollution". Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly disagree

    • On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being very likely, how likely are you to recycle paper products?

• Responses to these questions can be easily quantified, allowing for statistical analysis to identify trends, correlations and patterns in respondents' attitudes towards specific environmental issues

  • For example, correlating attitudes towards recycling with actual recycling behaviour can help to measure the effectiveness of environmental education campaigns designed to increase recycling rates

• Surveys or interviews can also include open-ended questions to help capture more detailed responses

  • Although these types of response can be more difficult to analyse, they can still be valuable for gaining deeper insights into individual viewpoints

Behaviour-time graphs

• If value surveys are repeated over time, the results can be used to produce behaviour-time graphs

• Behaviour-time graphs are graphical representations that show changes in behaviours or lifestyles over time

  • They can help to visualise trends, patterns, and shifts in behaviour related to environmental actions

• Behaviour-time graphs can track changes in daily habits, such as energy consumption, waste generation, or transportation choices, over a set period of time

  • For example, a graph might illustrate a decrease in household electricity usage over several months due to energy-saving measures like installing LED lights or adjusting thermostat settings

  • These graphs can also illustrate changes in environmental behaviours, such as recycling rates, composting practices, or water conservation efforts

• Behaviour-time graphs can be valuable tools for monitoring progress towards sustainability goals and evaluating the effectiveness of environmental initiatives

  • They can help to visualise the impact of interventions and can also aid in identifying areas for further improvement