Determinants of voting on environmental quality: A study of a New Hampshire pulp mill referendum

A local referendum on a proposed pulp mill in eight New Hampshire towns provides a particularly apt sample for examining preferences on environmental issues. Interviews with 359 voters are examined to test various determinants of voting behavior. A utility maximizing model is tested using multiple-regression logit techniques. Significant variables are respondent's location, income, occupation, and education and the initial environment of the community. There is a brief discussion of public policy issues which these results may illuminate.