ABSTRACT
The voluntary sector is also involved in a ‘mixed economy of persuasion’, involving a competition between sectors in which arguments and ideas are promoted and ‘sold’. In situations where all three sectors are directly ‘competing’ to provide the ‘authoritative’ or at least most convincing account of an environmental problem, surveys of public opinion have revealed a preference for voluntary organizations over their for-profit and public sector counterparts. MORI polls showed that, in 1996, confidence in scientists was significantly higher if they are ‘working for environmental groups’ (75 per cent of respondents having ‘great or fair confidence in what they have to say about environmental issues’), compared with those working in industry (45 per cent) or for government (just 32 per cent).
