Environmental Awareness in Polish Society with Respect to Natural Resources and Their Protection (Overview of Survey Research)

Abstract

The article comprises an analysis of public opinion surveys concerning the environmental awareness in Polish society concerning natural resources and their protection, which issue has not been presented to date comprehensively in the literature on the subject. To this end, i.e. to present the degree of this awareness, the results of opinion surveys on the following topics have been presented and analysed: environmental protection as a social problem and the sources of knowledge on this subject, climate change, natural resources as sources of energy, attitude to the nuclear power plant construction, and air quality. The study has been based on representative surveys carried out by public opinion polling centres. The above-mentioned analysis has been preceded by terminological findings on such terms as “environmental security”, “natural resources”, “environmental awareness” and “public opinion”, with a proposal for a new definition of environmental awareness, referring to elements of legal awareness. It has been assumed that the knowledge of the degree of public awareness is useful in designing legal solutions conducive to environmentally sound behaviour and in taking decisions on a gradual increase in the extent to which public participation in natural resource management is allowed. The research hypothesis that awareness of natural resources among the Polish population is not optimal but is gradually increasing was confirmed. It has been pointed out that legal measures to promote environmental measures need to be complemented and strengthened by instructional and educational measures.