An Exploratory Study on Environmental Values and Attitudes of Small Handicraft Businesses in Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

Based on the value-belief-norm theory, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between environmental values and attitudes of small handicraft businesses in Oaxaca to delve into the background that could lead them to a more responsible environmental behavior. The focus of the work is quantitative and has a descriptive and correlational scope. We surveyed owners/managers of 76 craft businesses. The descriptive results show that ecocentric values and attitudes are higher than anthropocentric values. However, the hypothesis test showed a significant relationship between the latter and pro-environmental and anthropocentric attitudes. Promoting an environmental education with a greater orientation towards ecocentric values in the business community is necessary; these environmental values can give small businesses in Mexico a greater responsibility for the environment. This work is a pioneer in addressing psychosocial factors in small businesses in Mexico. We conclude that the value-belief-norm theoretical framework is adequate for analyzing the relationship between environmental values and attitudes in handicraft businesses.