Summary of Environmental Readiness for the 21^st Century

This report examines a simple question: Are Americans environmentally prepared for the 21st Century? The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) commissioned a survey to better understand what Americans know about the environment and how they view emerging environmental problems. This survey, conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, includes an assessment of adult Americans' attitudes and behaivors toward the environment in addition to their environmental knowledge.

As environmental issues become more complex and increasingly the result of accumulated individual actions, the importance of environmental knowledge on the part of each American will increase. More will be required of both individuals and their leaders in our environmental future. Environmentally knowledgeable Americans will better understand what they as individuals can do to solve environmental problems and will be better motivated to take action. A knowledgeable public can also play a larger role in evaluating whether proposed environmental laws and regulations make sense in determining what new policies are needed, in supporting government regulations and policies, and in claiming information that it is the public's right to know.

Unfortunately, the 1999 NEETF/Roper Report Card clearly shows that Americans are largely unprepared for these roles. On key emerging environmental issues, most Americans will need to catch up if they are to understand the coming issues in environmental protection and help play a role in solving the problems.

Survey Results

• Americans are not prepared for our environmental future. Fewer than one in nine Americans get a passing score of 60% on knowledge of issues likely to be major problems in the next 15-25 years. Just 1 in 25 scored 70% or above in a quiz of environmental knowledge.
• On average, Americans answered just three multiple-choice questions right on a ten-question quiz about environmental issues in the next century.
• The public continues to engage in several simple activities such as recycling and saving electricity or water that benefit the environment. But by and large, individuals have not embraced some of the most important actions that are within their power to control.
• There are important differences between what scientists judge as the most critical emerging issues such as climate change and population growth, and public awareness of these issues. These differences have signifigant implications for the ability of lawmakers and public officials to convince the public to take action or to understand the implication of these issues.

* Environmental Intelligence Quotient