AbstractsSocial Sciences

Environmental consciousness among the Swedish population has considerably increased over the last decade. However, to be concerned with environmental questions does not automatically lead to greater ecological awareness and behaviour in everyday life. It is, according to previous research findings, important to consider aspects of socialisation and the structural aspect of social life in order to understand the different individual expressions of ecological behaviour. De-emphasised importance of individual social backgrounds regarding an individual’s choices towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle is therefore, according to several previous research findings, surprising. However, considering the major increased environmental consciousness among the Swedish population that has been shown, the objective of my master thesis was to analyse whether environment has become an area that engages all kinds of individuals, despite social backgrounds. Within the study, the two social factors that have been considered in most depth were generation and occupation. In order to get a deeper understanding of how people in Sweden view the individual responsibilities within the work towards a healthier environment, a literature study as well as an interview study was conducted. In the interview study, which was performed in Umeå, Sweden, interviews with scientists and day nurses born in the fifties and seventies were made. When considering the possible influences that generation and choice of occupation have on the individual’s choices towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, the result of my interview study did not indicate a direct relation between generation and occupation in one instance and rate of ecological behaviour in another. Instead individual differences among the scientists and day nurses from both considered generations were visible. ; Miljömedvetenheten hos den svenska befolkningen har vuxit betydligt under det senaste årtiondet. Men att vara miljömedveten leder inte automatiskt till ett ekologiskt beteende i individers vardag. Enligt tidigare forskning är det viktigt att undersöka strukturella aspekter av socialisering, samt aspekter av det sociala livet för att närmare förstå olika individuella uttryck av ekologiskt beteende. Att den individuella sociala bakgrunden har mindre betydelse för en individs val av en mer miljövänlig livsstil ter sig därför överraskande enligt ett flertal tidigare forskningsresultat. Men, med tanke på den allt mer växande miljömedvetenheten hos den svenska befolkningen var syftet med min examensuppsats att undersöka om miljö har blivit ett område som engagerar alla individer bortsett från sociala bakgrunder. De två sociala faktorerna som undersöktes mer ingående i studien var generationstillhörighet och yrke. För att få en närmare förståelse av hur människor i Sverige ser på individens ansvar inom miljöarbetet utfördes en intervjustudie samt en litteraturstudie. I intervjustudien som utfördes i Umeå, Sverige, intervjuades forskare och förskollärare som var födda…