Environmental protection and restoration are some of the major challenges faced by our society. To address this problem, it is fundamental to understand pro-environmental behaviors in the population, as well as the factors that determine them. There are, however, very few studies conducted in Latin America that are focused in understanding the environmental behavior of its citizens. The main goal of this research was to study the environmental behaviors of a Chilean community and identify the factors that determine them. To that end, a diverse set of environmental behaviors (power and water conservation, environmentally-aware consumer behavior, biodiversity protection, rational automobile use and ecological waste management) and sociodemographic and attitudinal factors—based on the VBN model—were evaluated. Survey data was obtained from a statistically representative sample (N = 1537) in Santiago, Chile. Our results suggest that several participants displayed tendencies that favor more responsible environmental behaviors, with high environmental concern, and demonstrating their ample awareness of the consequences of failing to protect the environment. Nevertheless, the highest average scores of environmental behavior were related to low cost behaviors and those that imposed the fewest behavioral restrictions. In global terms, we concluded that the youngest subjects in the lowest socioeconomic group obtained the lowest scores across the pro-environmental behavior spectrum.

This study examined the influence of risk perception on stress reactions and coping strategies in 191 Mexican people who had experienced a catastrophe either natural (SR group) or industrial (IR group), and who are still exposed to the same kind of risks. Results showed that for the IR group and for people who rank industrial risks as the highest priority, from among a list of risks, the stress levels were higher and coping strategies were passive. There were significant correlations between feelings of insecurity and both stress level and passive coping strategies. The results demonstrate that risk perception is an important variable influencing both stress and coping responses in a catastrophe risk situation.

Purpose: Nanotechnology has great potential in the food industry. The goal of this study is to identify food applications that are more likely and food applications that are less likely to be accepted by the public.Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted in México and was a replica of a study conducted in Switzerland. Another goal is to compare the acceptance ratings of citizens from a highly developed European country to the ratings of citizens from a less developed country. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted in three different places in México, which yieldedN=378 datasets.Findings: Affect and perceived control are important factors influencing risk and benefit perceptions. Applications that can be consumed are perceived as more controllable than applications related to the packaging or external use. The results are similar but not identical to the findings from Switzerland.Research limitations/implications: A convenience sample was used that was clearly more highly educated than the average population. One should be cautious when generalizing the findings.Practical implications: It is important to pay attention to public views regarding new technologies in the food business during the product development stage to avoid some of the pitfalls that GM technology had.Originality/value: This is the first study to analyze perceptions of nanotechnology applications in a less developed country. Emerging countries often do not have regulations that are as strong as those of developed countries; therefore, analyzing these markets is important, too.

El objetivo de este estudio es explorar la percepción de riesgo y las estrategias de afrontamiento utilizadas por personas adultas que viven cerca del volcán Popocatépetl en México. Se recolectaron datos tanto cualitativos como semi-cuantitativos a partir de un cuestionario que se aplicó a las 192 personas participantes. Éstos, fueron divididos en cuatro grupos (G1-G4) conforme a la zona de riesgo en la cual viven (en general el grado de peligro volcánico disminuye con la distancia). Sin sorpresa, observamos que el riesgo volcánico fue percibido como más preocupante por la gente que vive en la zona más cercana al cráter del volcán. Sin embargo, cuando preguntamos sobre los riesgos que los afectán más directamente, estas percepciones cambian, y el riesgo volcánico es evaluado como el riesgo más importante para los grupos G1, G2 y G3. A pesar de la información dada por las autoridades de Protección Civil, un alto porcentaje de personas expuestas a los peligros volcánicos no se sienten preparadas para enfrentar un evento eruptivo y no tienen estrategias para enfrentar los riesgos percibidos. Un alto porcentaje de participantes en los cuatro grupos sostuvieron que ellos dejarían la zona si ocurriera una erupción. Esta afirmación refleja una seria falta de información, puesto que las autoridades civiles no sugieren que la gente que vive en las zonas tres y cuatro evacuen. Se sugiere reforzar las campañas de información pública en las comunidades cercanas al Popocatépetl.

One hundred and sixty-one Mexican respondents completed a questionnaire that measured beliefs and attitudes toward hysterectomy and another that measured gender-role ideology in marriage (GRIMQ). The participants were divided into two groups according to the GRIMQ: “high machismo/marianismo” and “low machismo/marianismo” groups. The participants belonging to the first group showed the most negative attitudes toward hysterectomy. In this group, men showed more negative attitudes toward hysterctomy and were less likely than women to believe that hysterectomy has positive aspects. The findings are discussed in light of male dominance and female subordination that prevail in certain cultural groups of Mexico.xs