The Historical and Sociological Approach for Studying the European Environmental Agenda

This work focuses on the study of the formation and change of the environmental agenda among the population of the European Union in the period 1990-2010, focusing in particular on Bulgaria, Spain, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, as well as the reasons that affect these changes. To achieve this goal, the database collected in these countries in 1993, 2000 and 2010 was used. А quantitative methodology was used to calculate a generalized indicator of environmental concern for each country, significant determinants of environmental concern were identified, environmental concerns were compared in countries of Western and Eastern Europe, justifications for the trends presented. Thus, the results show that the average value of environmental concern is higher among residents of Western Europe than among residents of Eastern Europe, meanwhile, the general trend shows that the indicator of environmental concern decreases from 1993 to 2010 in all 4 countries. The presence of higher education, the maintenance of post-material values increases the importance of environmental concern in all three years of the study. Presumably, a decrease in environmental concerns is associated with improved environmental quality and the principle of marginal utility.