Housing : one structural Influence on everyday, household-based pro- environmental practices

This thesis is a sociological examination of the relationship between pro-environmental practices (PEP) and housing from the perspective of families in Nova Scotia. It builds on findings from research on pro-environmental behaviours, largely positioned within a psycho-social framework, by offering a sociologically positioned analysis of the effects of structural factors on practice in an under-researched area of PEP–the private sphere of the home. Data were collected from 125 Nova Scotian families using a 143 item online questionnaire administered from November 2015 to December 2015. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software through the use of across tabulations on a variety of PEPs against housing variables and income. Additionally, participation rates of PEPs were compared to available household amenities and neighbourhood attributes, and barriers and facilitators of PEPs were explored. The results indicated that housing characteristics, as well as income are structural factors that influence PEPs, however their influence varies by area of practice and access to amenities or facilities. The results also suggest that structural determinants of PEPs need to be examined in light of micro-level family dynamics of households which are highly gendered. This thesis concludes that social structures and spaces are deserving of more attention in the PEP literature and that there is a need for further sociological inquiry on the barriers and facilitators of pro-environmental practices.