Bear, Dinah. 1994. "Public Responses to the President's Council on Sustainable Development Draft Vision Statement and Principles for Sustainable Development" Executive Summary October 20, 1994 for Labat-Anderson Incorporated: 1-5.

Summary:

Bear reports that the public response to the vision statement and principles is "widespread." The average rating is 3.45 for the vision statement and 3.43 for the principles, on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being "very dissatisfied" and 5 being "very satisfied."

Methodology: The conclusions are based on 618 responses.

Is Sustainable Development Compatible with Economic Growth?

Opinion is divided regarding the compatibility of sustainable development and economic growth. Some believe the vision statement is too pro-growth while others believe it is not supportive enough of growth and view it as "anti-growth" and un-American.

The Vision Statement: Respondents are critical of the vision statement because it ignores the international context. Other criticisms include that it is anthropomorphic (human-centered) and there is confusion regarding the phrasing of "equitable" and "high quality of life."

Principles: There are fifteen principles which respondents were asked to read. For example, the first principle states: "We must preserve and, where possible, restore the integrity of natural systems - soils, water, air, and biological diversity - which sustain both economic prosperity and life itself" (see pp. 2-5). While there is general acceptance of this statement, some respondents had problems with "where possible."

This executive summary could be useful in that it provides a brief outline of public responses to the PCED draft vision statement and principles. It does not fully describe the methodology applied or provide very detailed conclusions based upon the data.

Keywords: President's Council on Sustainable Development, public opinion