This self-reported
measure of change in environmental concern was positively
associated with the degree of impacts felt by the spill, other recent
extreme weather events, gender, education level, and attitudes
toward conserving natural resources (Hamilton et al., 2012).
However, Grattan et al. (2011) found that both Gulf coast residents
who were directly and indirectly affected by the Gulf Oil Spill had
similar levels of concern regarding the environment, which suggests
that personal exposure to impacts related to the oil spill were
not significant factors in changing respondents’ opinions regarding
the environment.