Abstract:
This study was designed to identify the difference in proportion of environmental interests and types of environmental problems, additionally the relationship of various factors with such interests among Thai people. This study was also designed to present in comparison between two sets of data, which have 5 years of time difference (1993-1998). These two sets of data were taken from the project entitled The Social Attitude of People Survey 1993 and 1998 conducted by the National Statistical Office. The sampled includes 22,899 people in 1993 and 20,843 people in 1998 in total. Proportion of people who reported of interest in environmental problems rose from 54.7% in the year 1993 to 60.6% in the year 1998. The proportions of interest in types of environmental problems, forest devastation and soil erosion dropped from 67.0% to 44.0%. While solid waste, toxic and water pollution rose from 14.0% to 23.2% , and air and noise pollution rose from 19.0% to 32.8%. Bivariate analysis confirmed that factors including sex, age, marital status, education, number of household members, occupation, household income, area of residence, region of residence, sources of environmental information and experience with environmental problems had significant relationship with the reporting of interest in as well as types of environmental problems. Logit Regression indicated that the independent variables related interest in environmental problems including sex, age, marital status, education, occupation, household income, area of residence, region of residence, sources of environmental information and experience with environmental problems had significant relationship with the reporting of interest in as well as types of environmental problems. Multinomial Logit Regression indicated that factors which had significant relationship with interest in solid waste, toxic and water pollution in 1993 were region of residence, sources of environmental information and experience with environmental problems, and in 1998 were sex, age, number of household members, occupation, area of residence, region of residence and sources of environmental information. Factors which had significant relationship with interest in air and noise pollution in 1993 were occupation, household income, area of residence, region of residence, sources of environmental information and experience with environmental problems, and in 1998 were sex, number of household members, occupation, household income, area of residence, region of residence and experience with environmental problems.