Sustainable Development as Seen by the Residents of Eastern and Western Europe on the Basis of ISSP Environment Data

The ISSP Environment 2010 data (random sample including more than 18,000 respondents) were used to demonstrate differences in opinions concerning sustainable development between the residents of Eastern and Western European countries. If it is assumed that the concept of sustainable development involves a relative balance among the three pillars (social, economic and ecological), then opinions of the residents of Western Europe are more in line with this assumption. On the other hand, a disproportion can be observed in the case of Eastern Europe, where the environmental pillar is clearly underestimated and the social pillar is much weaker.