Most Americans say that they care about the environment, yet a growing number believe that the situation is hopeless. And even those who think that something can be done don't engage nearly as much in environmental advocacy as one might expect.

This disconnect between ecological concern and action must be addressed, given the broad public support needed to tackle important ecological challenges, including climate change. Traditional demographic research fails to address this disconnect because it doesn't probe worldviews that either motivate people or create barriers to action.

To fill this gap, the environmental law non-profit Earthjustice launched the Social Capital Project in 2005 to learn how to better mobilize a base of support for environmental protection.

Based on several years of research, the Ecological Roadmap is a national segmentation study of the worldviews of the American public. It organizes people according to how they rank more than 130 social values, values that shape their understanding of and engagement in environmental issues.

Based on the Roadmap, new communications and advocacy approaches have been developed that tap into these values and worldviews to build long-term public support for conservation. The Pacific Northwest Pilot Project is a micro-targeting tool to identify segments of the public in this region based on their environmental worldviews, allowing leaders to see exactly where there are opportunities to engage the public and grow support for important environmental policies.

The Ecological Roadmap, based on data gathered in 2007 and 2008, shows how different segments of the public relate to environmental issues and environmentalists—and why. The Roadmap tracks 130 social values and uses them to group Americans into 10 distinct environmental worldviews. These social values have more of an influence on whether someone is already or willing to "go green" than demographic factors such as race, gender or age.

The top three segments are the most environmentally friendly, but the majority do not self-identify as "environmentalists."

The three segments in the middle don't spend a lot of time worrying about the environment, but they aren't necessarily opposed to environmental protection either.

For the remaining four groups, day-to-day concerns trump environmental concerns.

Here are the 10 segments:

 
Good news:  the greenest-leaning segments of the population are getter greener—at least in terms of lifestyle choices. 

Bad news: the American population overall is headed in the opposite direction. Over the past two decades, American culture has been moving from fulfillment to survival, as people have become increasingly fatalistic about their own lives, let alone the environment.

The Ecological Roadmap shows how the social values in each segment cluster and relate to each other as part of their overall worldview. The following graph indicates how members of a segment relate to authority and to what degree they feel that they are in survival mode or living the good life.

The social value Civic Engagement indicates a belief that active involvement in the political process can make a difference in society. Members of segments that hold this value strongly may differ greatly in their attitudes toward religion, politics and gender roles, but there are some important things they have in common. The following values are good indicators of whether a person is likely to get involved in a campaign.

Social Responsibility—The belief that everyone in society—government, business and individuals—must do their part to make life better for all is held by more than three out of five Americans. That they outnumber those who are just out for themselves is a very hopeful sign.

Social Connectedness—This value reflects the importance some people place in being part of a group or community. Those who don’t, whether by choice or not, generally feel isolated from others and thus disinclined to get involved.

Meaningful Life and Future—A measure of optimism and sense of purpose, this value can motivate involvement in a range of issues and causes from the PTA to Greenpeace. Unfortunately, a number of segments, including a large portion of younger Americans, feel fatalistic about their lives and the world in general.

As a result, campaigns that provide a sense of conscientiousness, community and self-worth will be on target to reach the Caretakers, Idealists, Greenest Americans and perhaps the more conservative Traditionalists.

To reach members of the other segments, it’s important to first meet them where they are at. For example, the Materialists are high on the values Rejection of Authority, Penchant for Risk, and Need for Status Recognition.  Campaigns that have an anti-authoritarian attitude and/or provide instant gratification may hit their mark with this youngest of all segments. Ultimately though, long-term success may depend on the degree to which it’s possible to build the values that reverse people’s isolation, fatalism and self-centeredness.