Environmental Views in Estonia on the Eve of Independence: Perceptions of the Seriousness of Ecological Pollution as a Social Problem

Throughout Eastern Europe the environment was a focus of political protest on the eve of independence. Since then concern with the environment has declined. This paper examines views of the environment as a social problem in Estonia, based on a survey conducted in 1991. The characteristics of people who were very concerned with ecological pollution in 1991, along with political and economic changes since that year, are discussed in order to gain insight into why environmental concern has declined so greatly in the post-transition period.

The major findings of this study are:

(1) In 1991, environmental pollution was viewed as a very serious problem in Estonia, second only to crime.

(2) Since 1991, Estonia has been a leader among countries of the former Soviet Union in the transition to a market economy, and the importance of pollution as a social issue has diminished considerably.

(3) In 1991, concern about environmental pollution was strongly related to anti-Soviet feelings, as the Soviet authorities were viewed as being primarily responsible for this problem.

(4) In 1991, Estonians viewed pollution as more serious than did non-Estonians, and women viewed pollution as more serious than men.

(5) In contrast to most expectations, less educated people viewed pollution as more serious than did more educated people.

(6) In 1991, concern about environmental pollution was positively related to support for marketization and competition among firms, consistent with the World Bank position that environmental concerns and marketization concerns were not inconsistent. This view was especially strongly held by Estonian men.

(7) Among Estonian men, support for the view that the government should provide jobs to all people was also positively related to concern with environmental pollution, a position that seems inconsistent with support for marketization and free competition.

(8) The decline of concern about the environment in Estonia since 1991 and its decreased prominence on the policy agenda is probably due to: (a) the disappearance of expression of concern with the environment as a tool to express anti-Soviet feelings, (b) the appearance of competition between environmental clean-up and marketization as social goals, with marketization being viewed as much more important, and (c) the increasing role of educated Estonian men in policy determination in Estonia.

Dataset(s): 1991 Survey of Parent-Child Socialization in Estonia.