Missouri citizens overwhelmingly believe that environmental and economic agendas need not clash in state forests, but two-thirds said if they were forced to choose, they would support environmental protection, according to a survey conducted by the University of Missouri.
"When push comes to shove, they would prefer environmental protection over economic development, but they just don't believe that push should come to shove," says Sandy Rikoon, director of the study.
They sampling was heavy on rural people. It was noted by the researchers that there wasn't much difference in the attitudes of rural and urban respondents.
A similar study conducted in 1993 showed that 67 percent of Missourians believed economic development and environmental protection go "hand in hand." The more recent data, gathered in 1996, put that number at more than 70 percent. When forced to choose between the two alternatives, support for environmental protection rose significantly from about 50 percent in 1993 to 67 percent in 1996, while support for economic development dropped accordingly from 24 percent to 14 percent.
In general, the study found urban Missourians more likely than rural residents to support government regulation of private forestland. It also indicated that women are more likely than men to support such regulations.