Introduction: Today, metropolises face numerous challenges in physical, environmental, social, and cultural dimensions. Rapid urbanization and population growth have brought detrimental consequences for these cities. Shiraz, one of the largest metropolises in Iran, has recently been confronted with various environmental problems to which humans have remarkably contributed. These problems are mainly rooted in the materialistic, domineering, and expansionist behavior of contemporary humans. Since a substantial part of citizens’ beliefs and behaviors is related to their social status, socioeconomic status seems to be a crucial factor influencing environmental behavior. This study aims to investigate the environmental behavior and its relationship with their socioeconomic status.
Method: This research has been administered using the survey technique. The population included residents of Shiraz aged 18 years and older that 400 people were chosen as the sample by means of a stratified proportional sampling method. Environmental behavior was measured using the scale developed by Mirfardi et al. (2017), and socioeconomic status was assessed employing the scale developed by Radman (2017). The validity of the research instruments was assessed through face validity and the reliability was examined using Cronbach’s alpha, that its values for the environmental behavior was 0.85, and for the socioeconomic status 0.72.
Findings: The results showed that the mean socio-economic status was 13.3, and the mean environmental behavior was 37.3. Socioeconomic status and age showed positive and significant relationships with environmental behavior among Shiraz residents. A significant difference existed between men’s and women’s environmental behavior scores, with women being more responsible than men. Significant differences were also found in environmental behavior based on respondent’s educational level, parental education, and marital status. Individuals with doctoral degrees, those whose parents held doctoral degrees, and married individuals demonstrated more responsible environmental behavior than other groups. Regression analysis showed that the independent variables are able to explain 0.14 of the variance in the dependent variable.
Conclusion: Examining the role of socioeconomic status in environmental behavior requires attention to intra-status differences and types of environmental behavior. In this study, middle and upper classes reported more responsible environmental behavior. Given that socio-economic deprivation impacts on prioritize and behavior of individuals toward the environment, performing policies for poverty reduction and providing effective environmental education to change attitudes and the environmental behaviors seem necessary. Furthermore, utilizing both formal and informal education can play a significant role in strengthening attitudes and promoting responsible environmental behavior, in particular among youth and adolescents.