Litter may not be the most pressing problem facing our society,but many people still wish that our streets and parks had less trash strewn about.However,it is difficult to convince people to clean these public areas,a problem that sociologists would call:
A) a public goods dilemma.
B) the tragedy of the commons.
C) resource mobilization theory.
D) community policing.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A public goods dilemma is a situation where individuals benefit from a public good, but may not contribute to it because they don't see a direct benefit or it is difficult to enforce contributions. In the case of litter, individuals may benefit from a clean environment, but may not actively contribute to cleaning it up because they don't see a direct benefit or it is not their responsibility. Thus, a public goods dilemma would be the best explanation for why it is difficult to convince people to clean up public areas.

Litter May Not Be the Most Pressing Problem Facing Our