Most people around the globe will opt for environmental protection in situations where the choice has to be made between economic growth and the protection of the environment, says a new study published in Ecological Economics.

In an analysis of public opinion in 92 countries carried out by researchers at the University of Vermont, it is seen that 58% of the survey respondents preferred environmental protection even at the cost of economic growth.

The survey results are based on public opinion gathered through two large-scale international surveys conducted in countries with varying economic, political and cultural settings. This study tried to find out what common people think about one of the most contested policy issues, which is 'economic growth or environmental protection'.

People in Western Europe, Southeast Asia, America, Australia, and New Zealand were found to prefer environmental protection more. On the other hand, people living in some parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East preferred economic growth over environmental protection.

In addition to this, it was determined that the traits of the people who are supporters of environmental protection are also varied across regions. For example, in many Western countries, people who supported environmental protection were predominantly women, younger individuals, university graduates, and liberals.

However, the above-mentioned patterns were not common across the globe. It turned out that in some non-Western countries, people who supported environmental protection were mostly older individuals, males, and people with lower socio-economic status.

It was concluded that people's attitudes towards environmental problems depend on the specific economic and social environment of particular countries and, therefore, there is no universal profile of people who give preference to environmental concerns.

At the same time, researchers found wide approval of taking into consideration both environmental protection and social welfare in policy making. Nonetheless, researchers stressed that such attitudes did not mean that people gave up on economic development.

The findings were made in the context where many governments have faced the challenge of addressing environmental problems and at the same time ensuring economic development. The researchers noted that their results provide a more accurate understanding of people's attitudes towards environmental protection versus economic growth.

Covering 92 countries, the study is among the largest cross-national examinations of public opinion on environmental and economic priorities conducted to date.