The analysis in this chapter concentrates on issues like uranium mining and nuclear energy, forests, conservation and environment, mining, sustainable development, pollution, views on government taxes and spending to promote environmental protection, and views on the pricing of products to reflect the costs to the environment.

The data on public opinion about environmental issues have been arranged under the following headings:

• the relative importance of environmental issues

• the perceived seriousness of environmental problems

• nuclear energy as a threat

• government action

• trust in organisations

• environment, economy and the framing of public opinion

• individual behaviour and the willingness to pay for environmental protection.

The principal sources include surveys conducted since 1945 by Morgan Gallup and other survey research organisations like ANOP, the Australian Election Surveys (AES), the National Social Science Survey, and various studies commissioned by government departments and agencies like the Resource Assessment Commission.

The Relative Importance of Environmental Issues

Data on long-term trends in public opinion about the environment as a major policy issue have been gathered since the early 1970s. Although polling organisations have at times used different questions to measure public opinion, one can draw together these diverse sources in order to form a picture of the overall trends. Another consideration is to relate these trends to political processes. The basis for making this connection has been established in part III, which presented data on the articulation of concerns about the environment in the platforms and policy speeches of political parties.