In this study, we surveyed a random sample of 5000 citizens from six Chinese provinces (Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei, Hunan, Henan, and Shanxi) to understand their environmental attitudes, contrast factors (between attitudes of citizens in different demographic groups), and potential motives for environmental conservation. The results indicated that attitudes among policymakers and the public reflect a growing recognition of the key role that environmental restoration plays in protecting the overall health of the environment. In total, 91% of the interviewees believed that the environment had deteriorated severely during the past decade, compared with 44.4% in a 1999 survey. In addition, 78% of the interviewees supported their government′s investment of more than 300 billion RMB (~10% of total government revenue in 2004) on the “Grain for Green Project”, which discouraged unsustainable land use by compensating farmers and herders for abandoning farming and grazing on marginal land. There was a strong correlation between environmental attitudes and net income, education level, age, job, and location. Net income and education level were the key factors that affected environmental attitudes. Based on these results, we propose that successful environmental restoration projects must include both an education component and an economic development component.