Research Hanne Dallenes

Abstract

Current environmental problems force us to rethink notions of citizenship and specifically the role of citizens in addressing these issues. While scholarly debate often attempts to conceptualize sustainable citizenship (SC), there is less literature which examines empirically how social groups envision their role in addressing environmental issues. I aim to study sustainable citizenship from a bottom-up perspective by placing the social actor at the center of the analysis. A mixed methods research design will be used to examine how different social groups actively construct (or craft) sustainable citizenship. In contrast to most studies, I will apply a cultural lens to examine the cultural repertoires people employ to deal with environmental issues. By defining cultural repertoires both as cognitive frames and action scripts, this concepts provides an excellent framework to examine the multiple, inconsistent patterns that are part of crafting sustainable citizenship. This project uses a mixed-method research design to answer the research question: 'How do various social groups craft sustainable citizenship through the use of cultural repertoires?' Quantitative methods will examine and compare how different social groups relate to SC based on data of the Eurobarometer 95.1 (2021). Qualitative methods, based on reflexive diaries and semi-structured interviews, search for nuanced explanations of the quantitative findings.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Vandermoere Frederic
• Co-promoter: Verbist Gerlinde
• Co-promoter: Verschraegen Gert
• Fellow: Dallenes Hanne

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project is focusing on two themes: (i) the interrelated problems of climate change and energy security, and (ii) the complex relationships between environmental attitudes and environmentally friendly behavior. The first theme relates to the question of how European citizens perceive the problems of climate change and energy security. The second theme relates to the question if and how concerns about climate change and energy security translate into more sustainable energy preferences and a more sustainable usage of energy. To address these questions, the project uses a novel combination of data based on the module 'Public Attitudes to Climate Change' of the eighth wave of the European Social Survey as well as the national Household Budget Surveys. By doing so this interdisciplinary project offers a much needed social-scientific perspective on the relationships between energy security and climate change, thereby combining (a) a sociological and a socio-economic perspective and (b) integrating micro and macro approaches when looking for synergies and trade-offs between energy security and climate change policies in different countries across Europe.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Vandermoere Frederic
• Co-promoter: Verbist Gerlinde
• Fellow: Dallenes Hanne

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change

Project type(s)

• Research Project