Culture and green tastes. A sociological analysis of the relationship between cultural engagement and environmental practices

In this study, we approach environmental practices from a cultural point of view, focusing on the role of cultural capital. While previous studies have looked at educational attainment, we focus on another dimension of cultural capital i.e., cultural engagement. Against this background, we use data from the Flemish Survey on Socio-cultural Shift to (i) examine cultural engagement and distinction in Flanders though multiple correspondence analysis and (ii) investigate the relationship between people's cultural activities and their environmental practices through structural equation modelling. Firstly, we found three modes of cultural engagement. The primary distinction resides between the culturally engaged and disengaged. The second and third respectively distinguish a traditional and folksy musical orientation from more contemporary and eclectic tastes, and highbrow culture from emerging forms of cultural capital. Secondly, our study confirms that education relates positively to environmental practices, and more importantly shows that educational differences in cultural engagement can explain educational differences in environmental practices. General cultural engagement was the best predictor of environmental practices. Highbrow cultural capital was positively associated with conspicuous forms of environmental practices (e.g., shopping). In contrast, a traditional and folksy musical orientation seemed negatively related to environmental practices. In conclusion, our findings present strong evidence for a (re)conceptualization of environmental practices as a cultural taste and a potential form of cultural capital. Our study suggests that future research on social differentiation and cultural hierarchies should pay more attention to environmental practices.