By Amresh Gunasingham
WHETHER a person litters is influenced to a large extent by
whether a close family member or friend either approves of
littering or commits the act themselves, the National Environment
Agency's (NEA) sociological study showed.
The study found, for example, that a person was 2.4 times more
likely to litter if they had a relative who was also a
litterbug.
Mothers and wives were found to bear the greatest influence on
what their children and husbands did.
Among the youth, a problem group where as many as seven in 10
out of 1,500 interviewed admitted to littering, around 45 per cent
said their mothers were a strong influence in shaping their
attitudes towards littering. For men, the same proportion listed
their wives.
Among the general public, 33 per cent said mothers were the
strongest influence on their children's likelihood to litter.
The findings showed the importance of social support networks
and the role of women as 'important facilitators' in shaping the
values and actions of their families, said Associate Professor
Paulin Straughan, who led the year-long study.
