| This study examines the environmental worldviews of residents in Umatilla County,
Oregon using the EcoTypes framework and ecological habitus as a sociological lens. It asks two
questions: (1) what EcoTypes characterize the Umatilla County population, and (2) how do those
EcoTypes compare to those of the broader EcoTypes Project sample? To address these questions,
this study uses data from the EcoTypes online survey instrument, a 12-item bipolar semantic
differential scale measuring environmental ideas related to themes of place, knowledge, and
action. The Umatilla County sample (n = 137) was gathered through non-probability
convenience sampling and compared to the general 2023–2024 EcoTypes Project sample (n =
3,597) using summary statistics and Pearson’s chi-square test of independence. Findings show
that Earth Spirit was the most common EcoType in both populations- however, the overall
distribution of EcoTypes differed significantly. Compared to the broader sample, Umatilla
County respondents were less likely to align with Ecoscience and more likely to align with
Traditional Ways and Technoprogress. The results suggest that rural environmental worldviews
are not defined by an absence of concern- rather, by distinct ways of understanding and
expressing environmental concern. Overall, the study shows that environmental worldviews are
diverse, socially patterned and shaped by place-based context.
Keywords: EcoType, Ecological Habitus, Environmental Worldview, Environmentalism,
Environmental Sociology, Rural Sociology |