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Examining the willingness of Americans to alter behaviour to mitigate climate change
Abstract
Despite the increasing interest in climate change policy in the US, little systematic research has been conducted on the willingness of individuals to change their behaviour to mitigate the problem. Understanding behavioural change is critical if federal and local governments intend to implement programmes requiring actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This understudied aspect of climate change policy is addressed by quantitatively examining the degree to which residents living in the US are willing to alter their behaviour to mitigate climate change impacts, and by identifying the major factors contributing to this willingness. Based on a national survey, the reported willingness of individuals to alter behaviours is explained, using the components of risk, individual stress, capacity and ecological values. The findings indicate that specific personal traits and contextual characteristics trigger a significantly greater willingness to change longstanding behavioural patterns. These insights into the factors motivating behavioural change can provide guidance to decision makers at both federal and local levels on how best to implement climate change policies.
... Factors that influence climate change mitigation behaviors Household activities are associated with considerable greenhouse gas emissions (Wang et al 2021), and understanding factors that influence mitigation behaviors is crucial to achieving climate goals (Lacroix 2018). Climate change risk perception is a crucial predictor of mitigation behavior (Brody et al 2012) because individuals are more likely to engage in mitigation behaviors when they perceive risk associated with climate change (Brügger et al 2015). Individuals with stronger proenvironmental attitudes exhibit greater motivation to mitigate climate change (O'connor et al 1999(O'connor et al , Whitmarsh 2009). ...
... In addition, if an individual perceives that the responsibility for taking mitigation actions lies with other entities like governments or companies, they are unlikely to engage in these actions themselves (Bichard and Kazmierczak 2012). Furthermore, Brody et al (2012) demonstrated that self-efficacy, the perceived ability to perform mitigation behaviors, is positively correlated with motivation for behavioral change to mitigate climate change. Finally, motivation, usually considered to be antecedent to behavior, is significantly related to engagement in mitigation behaviors (Hung and Bayrak 2019). ...
... Questions regarding household-level engagement in three types of climate change mitigation behaviors used by previous studies were included in the joint survey (Semenza et al 2008, Whitmarsh 2009, Brody et al 2012, Seebauer et al 2017, Hung and Wang 2022b: not turning on the air conditioner, using public transportation, and buying energyefficient appliances (table 1). These three types of climate change mitigation behaviors were chosen because household energy usage and daily transportation are important contributors to household carbon footprints (Seebauer et al 2017, Lacroix 2018). ...
Reducing carbon emissions from household activities is important elements in achieving climate goals. Engagement in household climate change mitigation behaviors usually requires interaction and negotiation among household members. Congruence theory suggests that individual-determinants of climate change mitigation behavior are strongly influenced by household-level determinants, such as mutual agreement between couples, but few studies have empirically tested this hypothesis. One the pioneer studies of its kind in the field of climate change mitigation behavior, a unique dataset that contained the survey results of 152 married heterosexual couples in Taipei City, Taiwan was used to test the congruence effect on household climate change mitigation behaviors. Eight theoretical determinants of household climate change mitigation behaviors (five at individual-level and three at household-level) and the level of engagement in three household climate change mitigation behaviors were analyzed. Results from a response surface analysis suggested that none of the five individual-level determinants exhibited congruence effects, while two out of three household-level determinants exerted congruence effects on the behavior of energy-efficient appliance purchasing. In other words, based on the results of this study, married heterosexual couples having similar attitudes regarding household-level variables but not individual-level variables is a nonnegligible factor influencing engagement in household climate change mitigation behaviors that require a certain level of intrahousehold interactions.
... Household-level approaches differ markedly from the more commonly used individual-level approach in understanding climate change mitigation behaviors (e.g., Brody et al. 2012;O'Connor et al. 1999;Wolf and Moser 2011). The former perspective typically assumes that household-level decisions involve interactions among people living in the same household (Collins 2015). ...
... 64). These three kinds of behaviors were adopted from previous studies (Semenza et al. 2008;Whitmarsh 2009;Brody et al. 2012;Seebauer et al. 2017). ...
... The individual questionnaires answered by the husband (n = 152) and wife (n = 152) contained identical questions (see Appendix Table 5). The questionnaire items measured several possible determinants of decision-making roles or climate change mitigation behaviors as noted in the literature, including climate change risk perceptions, motivations for behavioral change, self-efficacy, environmental attitudes, and gender roles (Qualls 1987;O'Connor et al. 2002;Brody et al. 2012). Among the determinants, statements on climate change risk perceptions, motivations for behavioral change and self-efficacy were adopted or revised from Brody et al. (2012) and measured on 5-point Likert-scale responses (refer to Hung and Bayrak (2019) for more explanations). ...
Carbon dioxide emissions from households are substantial. Therefore, mitigating climate change requires household-level behavioral changes. However, mitigation behaviors have predominantly been examined at the individual level. Fewer studies have even addressed intrahousehold interactions that drive decision-making in relation to household climate change mitigation behaviors. Therefore, this study investigated the relative influence exerted by husbands and wives on the four-stage process of decision-making (i.e., problem initiation, information search and evaluation, final decisions, and practice) regarding household climate change mitigation behaviors. The sample comprised 152 married heterosexual couples living in Taipei City, Taiwan. The results revealed that the majority of surveyed couples employed joint decision-making throughout the four stages, and the percentage of joint decisions made gradually increased from problem initiation (61%) through to practice (82%). By contrast, the percentage of individual decisions gradually decreased from problem initiation (38%) through to practice (17%). Wives had considerably more influence than husbands across the four stages, and the dominance of wives in decision-making was related to wives’ characteristics such as educational attainment, gender roles, environmental attitudes, and self-efficacy, as well as husbands’ characteristics such as educational attainment and environmental attitudes. However, there was no difference between husbands and wives in the level of engagement in the three kinds of mitigation behaviors and four types of decision-making influences across the four stages. These results will help inform policies about communicating climate change information and promoting household mitigation activities to limit climate change.
... Table 1 summarizes the measures and survey questions. Motivation to mitigate climate change, the dependent variable, was assessed through a question, revised from Brody et al. (2012), on whether participants planned to take steps to reduce their contribution to climate change. Although the study of Brody et al. (2012) was conducted in the USA, this variable has been examined previously in Taiwan (Hung and Bayrak, 2019). ...
... Motivation to mitigate climate change, the dependent variable, was assessed through a question, revised from Brody et al. (2012), on whether participants planned to take steps to reduce their contribution to climate change. Although the study of Brody et al. (2012) was conducted in the USA, this variable has been examined previously in Taiwan (Hung and Bayrak, 2019). The independent variables used in this study included six measures of gender ideologies. ...
... Climate change perception, an important predictor of motivation for mitigating climate change (Brody et al., 2012;Hung and Bayrak, 2019;Semenza et al., 2008); gendered perception of climate change mitigation behaviors, which could demonstrate gender differences in the motivation to engage in climate change mitigation behaviors Taking gender ideologies seriously (Swim et al., 2020); and sociodemographic variables were used as control variables. Climate change perception was a summative index (a = 0.79) of four five-point statements revised from the Global Warming's Six Americas Short Survey (Chryst et al., 2018). ...
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between gender ideologies and the motivation to mitigate climate change among a sample ( N = 663) representative of the Taiwanese population, taking into account the different aspects of gender ideology measures and the multidimensionality of gender ideologies.
Design/methodology/approach
A landline-based telephone survey in Taiwan was used to collect research data. Pearson correlations were used to determine the associations between gender ideologies and motivation to mitigate climate change, and multiple regression analysis was performed to determine whether gender ideology measures were predictors for motivation to mitigate climate change.
Findings
The results suggested that the relationships between gender ideologies and mitigation motivation are complex, and that both traditional and egalitarian views of gender ideologies, measured using different scales, are positively associated with motivation. The dynamics of relationships among subgroups divided by gender and marital status need to be considered, as the relationships between gender ideologies and motivation are salient for unmarried individuals as well as married females.
Research limitations/implications
The findings support the premise that gender ideologies play an essential and complex role in individual climate change mitigation behaviors.
Originality/value
This is the first study that systematically examined the relationships between gender ideologies and motivation to mitigate climate change.
... Relevant flooding and hurricane risk perception questions were identified using principal components analysis (PCA) and Cronbach's alpha test (ɑ > 0.7) to create a composite risk perception score variable (included variables are identified in Table 1). PCA is often used in risk perception research to categorize and combine risk perception factors developed from the psychometric paradigm (Brody et al., 2012;Peacock et al., 2005;Peng et al., 2017). Cronbach's alpha identifies variables that likely have a shared covariance and can be used as a composite measure of an underlying variable (Brody et al., 2012). ...
... PCA is often used in risk perception research to categorize and combine risk perception factors developed from the psychometric paradigm (Brody et al., 2012;Peacock et al., 2005;Peng et al., 2017). Cronbach's alpha identifies variables that likely have a shared covariance and can be used as a composite measure of an underlying variable (Brody et al., 2012). A technique using Cronbach's alpha was used to ensure the validity of such question combinations. ...
... A technique using Cronbach's alpha was used to ensure the validity of such question combinations. The risk perception questions measured on a Likert scale were treated numerically (Brody et al., 2012;Peng et al., 2017). Similar risk perception questions were then combined into a composite score to reduce the total number of variables in the regression models. ...
Risk perceptions can influence how people prepare, react, and respond to a natural hazard. For dependent populations with increased vulnerability, such as youth, adolescents, and young adults, hazard education programs can influence their risk perceptions and increase their hazard awareness. However, most school curriculum does not include in-depth formal natural hazards education; Texas curriculum in secondary schools, for example, does not typically cover local natural hazards or their impacts in-depth due to other curriculum priorities. Thus, students may not be receiving potentially life-saving information on their local natural hazards or how to plan for or respond to disasters. In response, this research presents a formal, online, and youth-centric natural hazard educational (NHE) curriculum that examines the curriculum’s effects on risk perception and subject matter proficiency using a local pilot study with college students as proxies for high school adolescents in Texas. Results suggest that the curriculum content improved overall natural hazards knowledge in participants (p < 0.01) and that participants with higher post-curriculum scores demonstrated higher risk perception and hazard awareness. These findings demonstrate how exposure to natural hazards educational programs can increase hazard awareness and coping capacity in young adults and adolescents.
... The TPB model has been extensively used in a wide variety of behavior; nevertheless, the theoretical model has been criticized for neglecting moral consideration [37]. A person's belief about exhibiting a specific behavior is often associated with moral norms. ...
... A person's belief about exhibiting a specific behavior is often associated with moral norms. His belief in moral rectitude is related to moral norms while performing a specific behavior [37]. This suggests that an individual's feeling of moral obligation to perform a certain behavior should be considered [38]. ...
AI Generated Content Law was extensively promoted in 2023; hence, it is crucial to uncover factors influencing people’s behavioral intentions to comply with the AI Generated Content Law. This study extends the theory of planned behavior to explore the factors influencing people to follow AI Generated Content Law in China. In addition to the factors in TPB model, such as one’s attitudinal factors, normative factors, and perceived behavioral control, we add another factor-moral obligation to extend the theory of planned behavior model. We used convenient sampling and there were 712 effective samples. Using the statistical software Amos17.0, the result shows that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and moral obligation all have positive effects on intentions to follow AI Generated Content Law.
... It has been seen in other studies the importance of community identity in social responses (Idrissou, et al., 2016).Our model encompasses factors that prevail in the social dynamics of forest care and can be a guide for public policies research in this area (Islam, et al., 2020). Concerning other risks, it has been found that while the perception of a risk, can lead on the one hand to negative feelings, on the other hand, it fosters a greater willingness to mitigate the hazard (Leiserowitz, 2006;Brody et al., 2012), or favors more constructive and adaptive behavioral strategies in the face of a real or perceived high risk Grothmann, 2005;López-Vázquez et al., 2008;López-Vázquez & Marván, 2012). Our model shows it somehow because the model relationships are positive, that is, it favors the implementation of sustainable actions towards the forest as well as a greater community participation. ...
The care and conservation of forests is nowadays a vitally important task on theinternational agenda. For these purposes, it is very important to consider the humanfactor, which is a crucial element in the management of forests. The objective of thiswork is to analyze the risk perception of community members and how it influences anincrease or decrease community participation in forestry activities, the environmentalbehavior related to the approach towards forest sustainability, the sense of communitythat unites them in these tasks, and the social support that is given among them as acommunity. We interviewed a total of 237 residents of agrarian communities. Weapplied 5 scales, and a Structural Equations analysis was conducted to carry out thegoals of the study. The results of the theoretical model obtained show the positive anddirect influence of risk perception on community participation and sustainabilityorientation, and positively but indirectly on community support and sense ofcommunity. Our results confirm the importance of involving decision makers andorganizations in charge of forest risk management in order to contribute to disaster riskreduction
(PDF) Perception of Risk, Community Participation and Environmental Behavior for Forest Management in Mexico. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390438203_Perception_of_Risk_Community_Participation_and_Environmental_Behavior_for_Forest_Management_in_Mexico [accessed Apr 24 2025].
... Thus, climate change depends on changes in human behavior. (Brody et al., 2012;Casaló & Escario, 2018;Thondhlana & Hlatshwayo, 2018;Vlek & Steg, 2007). If individuals try to limit actions that harm the environment, environmental problems can be overcome (Albayrak et al., 2011). ...
Environmental issues are a pressing global concern, thus requiring a comprehensive understanding of behaviors that promote sustainability. This study examines pro-environmental behavior among Soegijapranata Catholic University students by integrating the Norm Activation Model (NAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A quantitative approach was used through a closed questionnaire distributed to 280 students. Data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 22.00 showed that pro-environmental intention is the most significant direct determinant of students' pro-environmental behavior (CR = 5.883, P < 0.001, and the value of direct influence is 0.728). This finding emphasizes the novelty of combining moral motivation from NAM and rational aspects from TPB, resulting in a more comprehensive analytical framework. Practical implications include designing interventions, such as educational campaigns and policies, to enhance pro-environmental behavior in higher education settings. This study provides theoretical contributions and practical insights to support sustainability efforts in academic institutions.
... Individual and community behavioural responses are influenced by their perceptions of problems (Mills et al., 2017). Perception of climate risk is also associated with belief about adverse consequences of valued objects and is dependent on a person's values and worldviews (Brody et al., 2012). Climate risk perception is not the same between countries and may also be different between individuals in the same community and country (Whitmarsh, 2011;Smith and Leiserowitz, 2012). ...
Climate change is an emerging stressor that impacts negatively on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in developing countries. This study assessed the socio-economic determinants of climate change perception in the uMkhanyakude district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Assessment of the determinants of climate change perception is imperative in the design for effective climate change communication and policy formulation at the country and regional level. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to collect data from a sample of 400 smallholder farmers. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyse the determinants of climate change perception. Descriptive statistics revealed that 95.5% of the sampled farmers perceived climate change in the study area. Farmers perceived long term increases in temperatures and a decrease in rainfall. The results of the binary logistic regression revealed that climate change perception is influenced by the age of the household head, adult equivalents in the household, land size, involvement in farmers’ organisations, access to irrigation, and level of education. Policies aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change should place an emphasis on dealing with drought, which has been a prominent phenomenon in the study area and in the Southern African region. In addition, it is recommended that government policies geared toward the support of extensive educational programmes should consider the determinants of climate change perception.
... This variable aimed to measure individuals' behavioral intentions to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change. The nine-item scale was adapted from previous studies Brody et al. (2012), Kim et al. (2013), and Chen (2020). Some of the items used in the scale are as follows: "In order to reduce the negative consequences of climate change, I would like to replace old electrical appliances with energy-efficient ones" and "I would like to plant saplings in order to reduce the negative consequences of climate change." ...
... The scale was adjusted according to the study-specific objectives. MFC was evaluated using three items [4,70,71]. KFC was evaluated using four items [51,72]. IFC was evaluated using three items [4,72]. ...
This study aims to analyze variations in the willingness to pay more for fair trade coffee between South Korea and Vietnam. Employing the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the research delves into consumer attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to increased expenditure on fair trade coffee. The investigation centers on two coffee-centric nations: South Korea, known for its substantial coffee consumption, and Vietnam, a global powerhouse in both coffee production and consumption. In this study, hypothesis testing was conducted using SmartPLS 4.0.9.5, and CFA (confirmatory factor analysis) and SEM (structural equation modeling) were used to assess each initial and second stage. In the second stage, moderating effects were examined through multi-group analysis. This study particularly explores how moral responsibility, knowledge, and involvement in fair trade coffee shape individuals’ attitudes toward FTC. Additionally, it aims to validate potential moderating effects between the two countries. While previous studies have emphasized the significance of ethical consumption, especially in business ethics, this research expands on these insights by examining fair trade coffee within the broader context of the coffee industry, encompassing both coffee-consuming and coffee-producing nations. The practical implications highlight that merely increasing knowledge about fair trade coffee is insufficient to foster a positive attitude. Instead, it underscores the importance of moral responsibility, which significantly influences attitudes toward fair trade coffee among both Koreans and Vietnamese.
... Household consumption can be influenced through the temporal shifting of practices, as discussed previously; however, this shift can be motivated by renewable energy systems [173]. Many studies have identified the willingness of individuals to engage and change their lifestyle as a major barrier to the utilization of renewable energy systems [174][175][176]. These systems are beneficial to households as they can reduce their reliance on the grid and produce cheaper and cleaner electricity. ...
The development of renewable energy systems offers a potential solution to energy consumption in the residential sector. These systems face many barriers and challenges regarding the nature of home energy demand and behaviors of household occupants. These barriers are discussed in innovation theory, which describes how people assess new technologies. A systematic literature review of 123 journals was conducted to explore the interrelationship between energy systems, home energy demand and occupant practices. This identified key gaps in the literature and important takeaways from past research showing the limitations of renewable energy systems in integrating into everyday lives. There are numerous personal and social barriers that inhibit behavior change and limit the penetration of renewable systems. Additionally, the development of social norms and institutional rhythms have resulted in people living in a lock-in lifestyle, with limited flexibility for change. This review discusses the role of technology, consumers and policies, and how they must all interact to create a sustainable and effective energy solution to this climate emergency. The next step is to reevaluate the design of home automation and energy management systems to consider the impacts of different lifestyles and routines.
... Meanwhile, according to Khashe et al. (2015), pro-environmental behavior is defined as all actions that directly or indirectly contribute to environmental conservation and sustainability. Furthermore, Brody et al. (2012) define proenvironmental behavior as individual participation in an activity to increase behavior to reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the environment. It is necessary to have awareness and concern for the environment raised through pro-environmental behavior o prevent and minimize the physical and psychological effects of the environment. ...
Despite extensive research on corporate sustainability, little is known about the factors that may instill employees taking part in sustainability initiatives. To address this gap, the main objective of this study is to identify factors that can enhance employees' pro-environmental behaviors that enable them to participate in sustainability initiatives. This study posits that leadership and motivation may influence employees to develop their pro-environmental behaviors through motivation. In order to test the hypothesis of the study, the partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was used to examine data of 169 employees of the Thai automobile industry. The results show that ethical leadership significantly predicts employees' pro-environmental behaviors. In addition, employees' intrinsic motivation serves as a mechanism by partially mediating the relationship between ethical leadership and employees' pro-environmental behaviors. The study also investigates the relationship between extrinsic motivation with basic pro-environmental behaviors of employees, but no empirical support was found in this regard. This study recommends that organizations encourage employee intrinsic motivation to enhance their pro-environmental behaviors and focus on increasingtheir performance.
... The socioeconomic factors, also reported in the literature, include the positive influence of income (Grothmann and Patt 2005;Betcherman et al. 2019), livelihood diversification (i.e., number of past and present jobs; Kinsey et al. 1998;Marschke and Berkes 2006), and the experienced impacts of climate change (Ayeb-Karlsson et al. 2016). Dedication to combat climate change and conserve nature increases a person's willingness to mitigate the harms of or adapt to climate change (Brody et al. 2012). The findings of this study revealed that dedication to combat the effects of climate change and conserve nature also positively influence the livelihood resilience capacities of the respondents. ...
Indigenous resilience is an increasingly popular topic in research on how the world’s indigenous peoples cope with and adapt to global climate change. Currently, a scientific gap exists in the understanding of the factors shaping Indigenous resilience. This study aimed to address this gap by focusing on two Indigenous Tayal communities in northern Taiwan and how they have coped with and built resilience in the face of climate change and climate-related disasters. This study employed both quantitative (n = 101) and qualitative methods (n = 10) to determine the factors that shape the livelihood adaptation pathways and resilience capacities (i.e., absorptive, adaptive, and transformative) of Indigenous and local smallholder farmers. This study demonstrated that the adaptation pathways of individual households must be placed in the broader context of economic, social, and historical processes. Cultural practices, traditional ecological knowledge systems, place attachment, and perceptions, as well as socioeconomic factors and convictions regarding the need to combat climate change and conserve nature, have shaped households’ resilience capacities. The evidence of a relationship between ethnicity and livelihood resilience was far from conclusive, and both Indigenous and non-indigenous households living in the same locality must be included when assessing Indigenous resilience to climate change. This study contributes to better understanding the agency of Indigenous households in their response to climate change and negative impacts of climate-related events. Such an understanding is necessary because sufficient insight into Indigenous and endogenous forms of climate change adaptation is lacking.
... This study's measurement items are presented in Table 1. Four items representing "PM prevention attitudes" were adapted from Cordano and Frieze, (2000); five items addressing "PM mitigation behavioral intentions" were modified based on Brody et al. (2012) and Chen (2016). Additionally, four items adapted from Janssen et al. (2012), were used to measure "cognitive risk judgements." ...
Purpose
As commercial cooking is known as a source that generates great concentrations of particulate matter (PM) emissions first accumulating in kitchens before spreading to dining areas, this study aims to explore how to improve restaurants’ efforts to reduce PM emissions by the application of attribution theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from restaurant managers operating their business in South Korea, considered to be qualified to provide accurate information regarding the survey questions. A scenario-based experimental approach was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Cognitive and emotional risk judgements were assessed for its potential interaction effects on the relationships between restaurant perceptions of PM source attributions, preventions attitudes and mitigation behavioral intentions.
Findings
Results revealed that perceptions of PM main sources were attributed to internal rather than external factors, which improved mitigation behavioral intentions. Such an effect was partially mediated through PM pollution prevention attitudes. Additionally, when applying external source attributions, PM mitigation behavioral intentions were improved by cognitive risk judgements, and PM prevention attitudes were enhanced by affective risk judgements.
Research limitations/implications
Results assist restaurants to better understand their operations that may be emitting significant levels of PM, thereby encouraging them to set more ambitious and effective PM mitigation operational guidelines for their employees and diners.
Originality/value
This study provides a fundamental baseline of management perceptions regarding PM emissions related to restaurant mitigation behavioral intentions. Results are useful in designing appropriate communication strategies addressing restaurant PM pollution issues to improve internal restaurant practices regarding clean air quality.
... All the measures used in this study were adapted from prior research (see Appendix for specific items). These included prior engagement in environmental communication scale from Kassing et al. (2010), discrete emotions scale from Fredrickson et al.'s (2003), involvement recognition, problem recognition, and situational motivation in problem solving scales from J. N. Kim and Grunig (2011), information seeking intention scale from Yang et al. (2014), along with scales on willingness to speak out and willingness to alter behavior to mitigate climate change from Brody et al. (2012). Scale reliabilities for all the variable measures ranged from .82 to .97, ...
This study examines how emotionally evocative viral videos on climate change may promote Generation Z’s actions addressing climate change. Through an online survey of 583 participants, this study provides empirical evidence supporting the conceptual framework incorporating problem recognition, involvement recognition, and motivation mediators to understand the mechanism underlying the effects of emotions on advocacy behaviors from passive information seeking, to proactive willingness to speak out, and willingness to alter behavior to mitigate climate change. Results of the study provide guidelines for environmental nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups on how to educate Generation Z on the climate change issue and engage this young generation to mitigate climate change.
... In addition, moral obligation has a positive influence on PEBs, suggesting that collective consciousness emphasized green packaging in daily life, where individual's environmentally-friendly behavior tend to be influenced by the moral obligation. The empirical finding is consistent with the results of previous study that moral obligation is an important role in predicting one's intention to exhibit PEBs (Brody et al., 2012). Si et al. (2020) also found that moral obligation is an important determinant driving environmentallyfriendly behavior in China. ...
In recent years government publicity was extensively used to convey environmental issues; therefore, it is important to explore the role of green government publicity influencing people’s pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). This study is to uncover the impact of China’s green government publicity on people’s willingness to use green packaging. This research collected data from Guangzhou of China, we used convenient sampling and online questionnaire survey to gather data, and there were 584 effective samples. Using the statistical software Amos17.0, the results reveal that green government publicity has a significant effect on environmental concerns and moral obligation. Environmental concerns and moral obligation both have positive effects on PEBs. In addition, Environmental concerns and moral obligation all have mediating effects in the relationship between green government publicity and people’s PEBs.
... Two meta-analyses identified self-efficacy and response efficacy for climate change as important predictors of proenvironmental behavior (Bamberg & Möser, 2007;Hines et al., 1987). Self-efficacy for climate change has been shown to predict climate change concern (Bostrom et al., 2019), mitigation intentions (Brody et al., 2012;Geiger et al., 2017;Wang, 2018), and pro-environmental behavior (Ajzen et al., 2011;Geiger et al., 2017;Lorenzoni et al., 2007). Similarly, response efficacy for climate change predicts attitude to climate change concern and attitude to mitigation across various studies (Bostrom et al., 2019;Doherty & Webler, 2016;Frick et al., 2004;Geiger et al., 2017;Hart & Feldman, 2016;Lorenzoni et al., 2007;Semenza et al., 2008;Wang, 2018). ...
Theories proposing climate change apathy is explained by inadequate knowledge do not account for why many informed and concerned Americans fail to act. While correlations between knowledge, efficacy for climate change, and attitude to mitigation have been observed, few studies have examined efficacy for climate change as a mediator. This study aimed to investigate the influence of specific climate change knowledge on attitude to mitigation via efficacy beliefs. A cross‐sectional survey of 205 US adults recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk assessed participants’ climate change knowledge, efficacy for climate change, and attitude to mitigation. Indirect effects of self‐efficacy for climate change were observed in three mediation models, suggesting efficacy for climate change explains some of the relationship between specific climate change knowledge and attitude to mitigation. The findings suggest risk communication can motivate pro‐environmental attitudes with interventions that deliver information about climate change and develop efficacy for mitigation behavior.
... There are many factors that can affect behavioral patterns of PEB intention. Through education, people with a keen moral awareness of reducing climate change will be more willing to execute individual adaptations [69,70]. Lin [71] and Masud et al. [40] further applied pro-environmental behaviors to climate change adaptation intentions. ...
This study aims to extend the theory of planned behavior to explore climate change perception, adaptation intention, and behavioral patterns of PEB of tourists in the Xitou Nature Education Area (XNEA) in Taiwan. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlation among various variables using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from the close-ended question questionnaires; sample size (n = 626). SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 for Windows were used as tools for analysis. The results are as follows: the perception of tourists on climate change exerts a significant positive effect on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, which, in turn, exerts significant positive effects on climate change adaptation intentions. Furthermore, climate change adaptation intentions exert a significant positive influence on the behavioral patterns of PEB. Finally, political trust exerts a moderating effect on the relationship between subjective norms and climate change adaptation intentions and between perceived behavioral control and climate change adaptation intentions. Our findings indicate that it is necessary to encourage awareness of climate change, and that it is also very important to increase the value of political trust when making environmental policies.
... The pro-environmental behavioral intention scale by Brody et al. (2012) was employed to measure one's intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors on a 7-point Likert scale (i.e., planting trees, using recycled products; M = 5.63, SD = .69, α = .84). ...
The aim of the current study is to examine how Facebook use influences pro-environmental behavioral intentions via individuals’ interests in pre-environmental behaviors and if the link is moderated by empathy. 229 individuals participated in an online survey via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The finding showed that the moderating effect of empathy on the relationship between Facebook use and pro-environmental behavioral intentions was found to be positively significant. Along with this moderation effect, an indirect effect of Facebook use on pro-environmental behavioral intentions via environmental interests was also positively significant. These findings contribute to the discussion on the importance of considering the effects of both a personological trait and a situational variable on promoting pro-environmental behavioral intentions.
... According to construal level theory (CLT), an event perceived as distant leads to a higher level of construal, that is, a more abstract mental processing of the issue (Trope and Liberman 2010). The view of climate change as abstract and psychologically distant is a major challenge to effective communication of the issue, as it can imply little personal relevance and may lead to delayed actions (Brody et al. 2012;Leiserowitz 2006). However, recent research also found evidence that decreased psychological distance or abstraction levels of climate change did not always lead to increased willingness to act (Brügger et Nowadays, going beyond the cognitive "de cit model," scholars point out that on climate change, a polarized topic, emotions have become an important factor in shaping people's attitudes and behaviors (Nabi et al. 2018). ...
This study examines how the level of concreteness and abstraction of climate change imagery influences people’s responses via emotional valence, and how such effect is moderated by people’s visual literacy. Findings show that concrete images promote negative feelings, which subsequently reduce people’s perceived distance to climate change, encourage concern and behavioral intention. Less visually literate people are more influenced by the visuals’ effect and are more motivated by concrete images. Our study integrates theoretical perspectives from construal level, emotional valence and visual literacy, while also offering practical advice regarding how to effectively visualize climate change to engage a wide audience.
... Individual anxiety and fear regarding climate change were among the most common determinants that recognize the phenomena as dangerous, along with attitudes and moral norms [26,29,30]. Regarding behavioral efficacy for climate change mitigation, individual actions are believed to be a contributing factor, including recycling and less meat consumption [31][32][33]. ...
Climate change is the result of anthropogenic activities and will lead to widespread and rapid changes on Earth in the following decades. The climate change crisis has led to economic, social, and cultural crises worldwide. This study analyzes the factors impacting the voluntary actions of individuals to mitigate the climate change crisis. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire survey from 650 Korean adults. Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical program IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The results show that the factors affecting an individual’s willingness to act on climate change mitigation were gender, social class, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived obstacles, environmental attitude, and social exclusion. In particular, the results show that social exclusion had a moderating effect on the severity of the willingness to act on climate change mitigation. Regarding the moderating effect of social exclusion, significance was determined for gender, social class, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived obstacles, environmental attitude, and social exclusion (R² = 0.617). The government should thus make efforts to reduce social exclusion in order to strengthen individuals’ willingness to act on climate change mitigation.
... We then asked about respondents normative beliefs. Perceived Moral Obligation was measured with three items, e.g., "I have a moral obligation to combat the spread of coronavirus" (adapted from Brody et al. (2012), Chen (2020)). Subjective Norm was measured with four items each for Injunctive Norm (e.g., "My friends think I should adhere to the Corona protection measures" and Descriptive Norm (e.g., "My friends adhere to the Corona protection measures") (adapted from Niemiec et al. (2020), Rhodes et al. (2006)). ...
In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, non-pharmaceutical protective measures taken by individuals remain pivotal. This study aims to explore what motivates individuals to engage in such measures. Based on existing empirical findings as well as prominent behavioural theories, a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) of predictors for pandemic protective behaviour was estimated using a representative German sample (n=437). The study was preregistered at OSF. The model explains 69% of the variance for behavioural intention, which is strongly correlated with behaviour (ρ=0.84). The most influential predictor for protective behaviour is its perceived efficacy, followed by normative beliefs and perceptions about costs for protective behaviour. Distrusting beliefs in science and scientists negatively predicted response perceptions and were also strongly and negatively correlated with behaviour. Knowledge about COVID-19 was weakly linked with perceived response efficacy, as well as with behaviour. These findings suggest that communication strategies surrounding COVID-19 should emphasise the efficacy of responses and foster a sense of responsibility.
... Research has established that climate change in the American mind is a distant threat, one that occurs in remote places, far into the future, and to other people, not to them in the here and now [20][21][22]. To get people to act in response to risk, they have to feel personally at risk [23][24][25]. Flooding is arguably the most tangible impact of climate change in coastal areas that people can recognize and experience. It is also a severe threat to infrastructure functioning and quality. ...
The importance of public perceptions and their role in climate change adaptation for infrastructure has been highlighted in previous studies. However, public perception of water infrastructure at risk of flooding has not been explicitly addressed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate flood risk perception, the factors that influence it, and evaluations of water infrastructure systems. To examine this, data were obtained from a public survey of 755 respondents in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Risk perception is measured as three components: worry, awareness, and preparedness. Structural equation modeling was used to develop and test a model tracing the interrelationships between risk perception, disaster experience, satisfaction with infrastructure services, knowledge of water infrastructure, socioeconomic characteristics, and political views. Results show that flood risk perception elements (awareness, worry, preparedness) significantly influence public evaluation of water infrastructure conditions and mediate the impact of flood experience, service satisfaction, and knowledge. Evaluation of water infrastructure is positively associated with knowledge and service satisfaction but negatively with flood experience. The study also confirms the importance of socio-economic characteristics in shaping public risk perception and evaluation of infrastructure. These findings imply multiple ways that decision-makers may enhance flood risk management plans and adaptation processes of water infrastructure systems in coastal urban areas.
... The previous literature reveals that action on climate change is also related to sociodemographic characteristics of individuals and households, including gender, age, levels of education, household size, household location, and household income (Abrahamse & Steg, 2011;Lee et al., 2015;Thaller et al., 2020). For example, studies have shown significant gender-related differences, in which women tend to consider climate change as a more serious issue than men and are more likely to take measures toward it (Brody et al., 2012;Weber, 2016). In regard to age, younger adults usually hold stronger pro-environmental attitudes compared to seniors and believe that the issue of climate change ought to be taken more seriously (Semenza et al., 2008;Weber, 2016). ...
Managing and reducing the impacts of climate change depends on efficient actions from all societal scales. Yet, the household component is often missing from climate research, debate, and policies. This is problematic because households have been found to significantly contribute to of global greenhouse gas emissions and therefore have the potential to be part of a solution to climate change by mitigating climate change. This study seeks to understand which factors drive household-level mitigation actions. We conducted a household survey in Nuevo Leon, located in northeastern Mexico, to explore the extent to which climate change perceptions and the sociodemographic characteristics of households influence their reported mitigation performances and their perceived mitigation efforts. Results from linear regression analyses and generalized linear models revealed that sociodemographic characteristics are key drivers of the households’ perceived mitigation efforts and reported mitigation performances and. We also found that climate change perceptions drive a household’s efforts to mitigate climate change. These results could partly explain why despite the efforts households take to mitigate climate change, achieving an effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is challenging without further access to resources such as education and financial support. If governments intend to realize substantial reductions in future emission pathways, then household-level mitigation should be addressed with proper support.
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting pro-environmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting pro-environmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
Abstract—Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission is one of the
critical problems of today’s world. Many countries have been
taking many short- and long-term plans to reduce climate
change mitigation. However, the potential of behavioral
changes in addressing this problem is promising. This paper
presents a comprehensive literature review that focuses on ways
to influence people’s behavior at home, workplace, and
transportation to mitigate the emission directly or indirectly.
This study investigated different theories pertinent to planned
behavior and the key elements for modifying behavior like
biophilia, reinforcement to use optimum energy and recyclable
products, proper application of greenhouse tax, modern
technology and sustainable design adaptation, transportation
sharing, social and community norms, proper education and
information, and financial incentives. There are number of
challenges associated with the behavioral changes. Behavioral
interventions have different actions varied by their type and
need to combine various policy tools and great social
marketing. Many interventions can reduce GHG emissions
without any compromise with household well-being. This study
developed a landscape of prevailing theories of environmental
psychology by identifying and reviewing the key themes and
findings of this field of study. It will support especially the
developing countries to reduce GHG emissions without
significant capital investment. It is also expected that the
behavioral changes will lead to the successful adoption of climate-friendly
policies easily. This study will also generate new
research questions and directions.
Keywords—Behavioral changes, climate change mitigation,
environmental psychology, greenhouse gas emission.
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting pro-environmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
Abstract—Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission is one of the
critical problems of today’s world. Many countries have been
taking many short- and long-term plans to reduce climate
change mitigation. However, the potential of behavioral
changes in addressing this problem is promising. This paper
presents a comprehensive literature review that focuses on ways
to influence people’s behavior at home, workplace, and
transportation to mitigate the emission directly or indirectly.
This study investigated different theories pertinent to planned
behavior and the key elements for modifying behavior like
biophilia, reinforcement to use optimum energy and recyclable
products, proper application of greenhouse tax, modern
technology and sustainable design adaptation, transportation
sharing, social and community norms, proper education and
information, and financial incentives. There are number of
challenges associated with the behavioral changes. Behavioral
interventions have different actions varied by their type and
need to combine various policy tools and great social
marketing. Many interventions can reduce GHG emissions
without any compromise with household well-being. This study
developed a landscape of prevailing theories of environmental
psychology by identifying and reviewing the key themes and
findings of this field of study. It will support especially the
developing countries to reduce GHG emissions without
significant capital investment. It is also expected that the
behavioral changes will lead to successful adoption of climatefriendly
policies easily. This study will also generate new
research questions and directions.
Keywords—Behavioral changes, climate change mitigation,
environmental psychology, greenhouse gas emission.
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting pro-environmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
Environmental Psychology
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting pro-environmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
... In this study the environmental attitudes of business owners and managers were very similar regardless of whether they recycled or not. Previous work has suggested that there is a relationship between ecological values or environmental concern and willingness to participate in environmentally friendly behaviors [33][34][35][36]. However, that was not evident in this study. ...
Worldwide, over 1.3 billion tonnes of food goes to waste each year, and much of this is disposed of in landfill, which is costly to the economy and the environment. This study targeted food waste management in local food service businesses as the third largest producer of food waste and a sector that has received less academic attention than other food waste producers (such as household food waste). Questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate current food waste management practices within food service businesses in a Local Government Area in Adelaide, South Australia. Twenty-two respondents completed the online questionnaire and three of these businesses also participated in an interview—two in-person at their business premises and one via an online teleconferencing system. It was found that 54% (n = 12) of these businesses have practices in place to recycle their food waste, while 46% (n = 10) do not. Insufficient kitchen space and the difficulty of separating food waste from non-compostable rubbish were reasons given for not recycling food waste, and the single most important factor that would encourage food waste recycling cited by businesses was the provision of a free, green organics bin. Motivations for recycling food waste included compassion for the environment and the desire to divert waste from landfill. These insights may help local government implement solutions to reduce food waste from entering landfill.
... Social capital opens access to information and resources, leading to a greater ability to adapt. It has been shown that access to reliable information on weather and climate change influences perceived vulnerability and adaptation behavior [9,11,45,52,57,58]. ...
Changes in climatic conditions are unavoidable and irreversible and an early and effective adaptation in farming systems will be vital for resilient agriculture. Although the extant literature has described factors that explain climate change adaptation, the roles of proactive versus reactive adaptation related to perceived vulnerability are still underexplored. The aim of our study was to open a new angle of discussion by linking farmers’ perceptions of vulnerability with their adaptation response, and exploring the dynamic of such a relationship. Semi-structured interviews with farmers were held in the Maule Region of central Chile (n = 36). The interview included questions o about main agricultural challenges, perceptions of climate change and its impact, adaptation strategies, and perceptions of vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, and ability to adapt. In order to interpret the interview data, a content analysis procedure was followed. The results indicate that farmers respond differently by either engaging in proactive or reactive adaptation behavior. Furthermore, the patterns of either proactive or reactive adaptation behavior can be explained by structural factors and social and human capital. While structural factors, such as production systems and financial capital, explain engaging in adaptation to climate change, social and human capital act as enhancing factors that explain proactive adaptation. Future policies on adaptation behavior should focus on promoting proactive forms of adaptation behavior by developing and enhancing social connections and access to information, as well as on the provision of financial schemes to enable efficient and effective adaptation within the agricultural sector.
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting proenvironmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission is one of the critical problems of today's world. Many countries have been taking many short-and long-term plans to reduce climate change mitigation. However, the potential of behavioral changes in addressing this problem is promising. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review that focuses on ways to influence people's behavior at home, workplace, and transportation to mitigate the emission directly or indirectly. This study investigated different theories pertinent to planned behavior and the key elements for modifying behavior like biophilia, reinforcement to use optimum energy and recyclable products, proper application of greenhouse tax, modern technology and sustainable design adaptation, transportation sharing, social and community norms, proper education and information, and financial incentives. There are number of challenges associated with the behavioral changes. Behavioral interventions have different actions varied by their type and need to combine various policy tools and great social marketing. Many interventions can reduce GHG emissions without any compromise with household well-being. This study developed a landscape of prevailing theories of environmental psychology by identifying and reviewing the key themes and findings of this field of study. It will support especially the developing countries to reduce GHG emissions without significant capital investment. It is also expected that the behavioral changes will lead to successful adoption of climate-friendly policies easily. This study will also generate new research questions and directions.
... Prior research supports that children should know about the values of climate change and environmental sensitivity to lead a low carbon lifestyle. Brody et al. [21] highlighted the positive aspects of pro-environmental behavior. By acting pro-environmentally, the ecology and the mitigation of the environment will both be benefited. ...
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission is one of the critical problems of today's world. Many countries have been taking many short-and long-term plans to reduce climate change mitigation. However, the potential of behavioral changes in addressing this problem is promising. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review that focuses on ways to influence people's behavior at home, workplace, and transportation to mitigate the emission directly or indirectly. This study investigated different theories pertinent to planned behavior and the key elements for modifying behavior like biophilia, reinforcement to use optimum energy and recyclable products, proper application of greenhouse tax, modern technology and sustainable design adaptation, transportation sharing, social and community norms, proper education and information, and financial incentives. There are number of challenges associated with the behavioral changes. Behavioral interventions have different actions varied by their type and need to combine various policy tools and great social marketing. Many interventions can reduce GHG emissions without any compromise with household well-being. This study developed a landscape of prevailing theories of environmental psychology by identifying and reviewing the key themes and findings of this field of study. It will support especially the developing countries to reduce GHG emissions without significant capital investment. It is also expected that the behavioral changes will lead to successful adoption of climate-friendly policies easily. This study will also generate new research questions and directions.
... While the percentage of Americans who report that they believe climate change is happening (69%) far outweighs those who think climate change is not happening (16%), there persists more stark disagreement whether this change is human caused (55%) as opposed to whether it represents an ongoing natural cycle (32%) (Leiserowitz et al., 2019). This is particularly troubling given the decreased willingness to engage in climate change mitigation by individuals who do not attribute the phenomenon to human activity (Brody, Grover, & Vedlitz, 2012). ...
... The view of climate change as an abstract and psychologically distant risk is thought to be a major barrier to effective communication of the issue, as it can imply little personal relevance and may lead people to feel less motivated to take actions (Brody et al., 2012;Leiserowitz, 2006). Addressing this communication challenge, our study investigates: (1) how abstract versus concrete construal levels induced by climate change imagery may differentially influence the public's concern and mitigative behavioral intentions and (2) how construal levels may interact with audience characteristics such as efficacy and responsibility, proenvironmental self-transcendent values, political orientation to affect climate change responses. ...
Relying on construal-level theory, we experimentally test how the level of concreteness and abstraction of climate change imagery affects climate change responses among a diverse sample of U.S. adults ( N = 448). Results show that concrete visual messaging practices cannot directly lead to increased level of concern or behavioral intentions. Instead, they may backfire for conservatives, less-efficacious people, and people who are low in proenvironmental values. Our findings contribute to the effective climate change visual communication literature by incorporating a construal-level perspective, while also offering practical implications regarding how to use visuals more effectively to engage the public with climate change.
In recent years, the United States has experienced a series of natural hazards that resulted in significant loss of life and property. A growing body of scholarship has examined the role of personal disaster experience in climate change communication. Yet, the evidence for the relationship between personal experience and climate change engagement has been mixed. To clarify this literature, we explore if, when, and how personal wildfire experience sounds the alarm on climate change using a cross-sectional online survey of adults (N = 529) in the Western United States. Findings demonstrate that personal experience with wildfires is indirectly associated with climate change engagement via negative emotions and psychological distance of wildfire. Our study improves the understanding of the complex relationships between personal wildfire experience and climate change, suggesting that highlighting links between climate change and wildfire may have various meanings depending on individuals’ political orientation and subjective knowledge.
A rapid and effective transition to low-carbon energy production is essential to limit climate change impacts. While the scientific community has mostly focused on research and development and techno-economic aspects, quantifying the role of public acceptability and policy in shaping emission trajectories has been much more elusive. This study investigates the coupled dynamics of nonlinear socio-political acceptance and anthropogenic CO2 emissions, with implications for climate policies and clean energy investments. Our findings show that a top-down policy approach alone may not be sufficient for effective emission cuts, highlighting the need for a multi-level strategy that combines top-down and bottom-up approaches. Additionally, opinion polarization can trigger detrimental CO2 emission oscillations when governments decide to take heavy-handed policy interventions in highly polarized socio-political systems. Delayed perception of climate change damage or abrupt reactions to extreme weather events may also significantly affect emission reduction efforts, although in the opposite direction. Integrating these socio-political dynamics into climate models can enhance our understanding of the complex interplay between human and natural systems, enabling the development of more effective and resilient mitigation strategies.
ENGLISH: Climate change increased the risks for exposure to extreme weather events such as fires, storms, floods, cold and heat waves, among others. The subjective assessment of climate risk is relevant to the perception of climate emergency and the propensity to pro-environmental action. However, few studies have measured the factors that contribute to the perception and subjective assessment of climate risk. In this study, which is part of the CLIMACTIC project, Portuguese university students (N = 158) completed a questionnaire regarding their subjective climate risk perception, beliefs about climate change, and their perceptions and experience with the consequences of climate change, as well as tests about probability reasoning and mathematical calculations. On average, participants reported high climate risk perception. Their climate risk perception was positively correlated with beliefs about climate change and with their perception and experience with the consequences of climate change. Higher levels of risk perception were also positively related to a higher ability to answer correctly to problems with a theme of climate change, and with a more left-wing political orientation, and negatively correlated with hierarchical values. These results suggest that the subjective perception of climate change risks is affected by attitudinal, experiential, political and cognitive variables.
[PORTUGUÊS: As alterações climáticas aumentaram os riscos de exposição a eventos climáticos extremos como fogos, tempestades, cheias, ondas de frio ou calor, entre outros. A avaliação subjetiva do risco climático é relevante para a perceção de emergência climática e a disposição à ação pró-ambiental. No entanto, poucos estudos têm avaliado os fatores que contribuem para a perceção e avaliação subjetiva do risco climático. Neste estudo integrante do projeto CLIMACTIC, estudantes universitários portugueses (N = 158) completaram um inquérito online sobre a perceção subjetiva de risco climático e as crenças referentes às alterações climáticas, a perceção e experiência relativa às consequências das alterações climáticas, bem como testes sobre raciocínio com probabilidades e cálculos matemáticos. Em média, os participantes relataram alta perceção de risco climático. A perceção subjetiva de risco climático correlacionou-se positivamente com as crenças sobre as alterações climáticas, e com a perceção e experiência com as consequências das alterações climáticas. Altos níveis de risco subjetivo ainda se relacionaram positivamente com a maior habilidade de resolução de problemas com a temática do clima e uma orientação política mais de esquerda, e negativamente com valores hierárquicos. Estes resultados sugerem que a perceção subjetiva de risco climático é afetada por variáveis atitudinais, experienciais, políticas e cognitivas.]
This study examines how the level of concreteness and abstraction of climate change imagery influences people’s responses via emotional valence, and how such effect is moderated by people’s visual literacy. Findings show that concrete images promote negative feelings, which subsequently reduce people’s perceived distance to climate change, and encourage concern and behavioral intention. Less visually literate people are more influenced by the visuals’ effect and are more motivated by concrete images. Our study integrates theoretical perspectives from construal level, emotional valence, and visual literacy, while also offering practical advice regarding how to effectively visualize climate change to engage a wide audience.
Climate change presents serious risks to human communities around the world. To ensure rapid, widespread and equitable adaptation to these risks, government policy must be enacted to support community-wide adaptation. Public support for adaptation policy will be key to its passage. To date, few studies have focused on what factors motivate public support for adaptation policy, especially at the subnational level in non-coastal areas. To address these gaps, we develop a conceptual model that draws on and synthesizes past conceptual frameworks and literature related to environmental behavior and adaptation specifically. Using structural equation modeling with latent variables, we examine this model, drawing on data from a statewide survey of over 2,700 individuals from the state of Indiana in the Midwestern United States. We assess the drivers of two distinct measures of policy support: support for climate adaptation policy and support for climate adaptation taxes. We find that threat appraisal, climate risk perception, perceived efficacy of government, respondent’s climate change beliefs, perceived descriptive and dynamic norms around policy support, and social structural characteristics such as political affiliation are important drivers of support for adaptation policy, but that their effects differ across our two outcome measures. These findings point to opportunities to better engage the public in policy discourse, while also suggesting that distinct motivations shape support for policy compared to the taxes likely needed to support these new programs.
Appropriated computing in blockchain technology distributed innovation stage for creating decentralized applications and information stockpiling. A disseminated record is database that is con exotically shared and inner associated with arrange hubs. It permits exchanges data and to have open record database in the executive framework. The ledger can be described as a ledger of any transactions or contracts kept up in decentralized form across different geolocation connection which are made up with network nodes. The contestant at each node of the network can access the registered data shared across that network and can own an identical copy of it. Public ledger have any changes or update is made it will reflected and copied to all participants. Underlying distributed ledgers is the same technology that is used by blockchain which is the technology that is used to cryptocurrencies. Distributed computing in blockchain is working under decentralized public ledger; distributed computing blockchain technology consists of two different methodologies: public blockchain and private blockchain. This chapter explains the importance of distributed computing in blockchain, platforms, barriers, and privacy challenges of distributed computing.
This paper empirically examines whether environmental values are correlated with economic preferences from behavioral economics and considers possible consequences when independence is assumed. The data for this analysis stem from a large-scale computer-based survey among more than 3700 German citizens. Our indicators for environmental values are based on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), which is a standard instrument in social and behavioral sciences and increasingly common in economic studies. The econometric analysis with Generalized Poisson regression models reveals strong correlations between two NEP scales and several economic preferences, which are based on established experimental measures. While our variables for altruism (measured in an incentivized dictator game) and positive reciprocity are significantly positively correlated, the indicators for trust and (less robust) negative reciprocity are significantly negatively correlated with the NEP scales, respectively. Only the variables for risk and time preferences (also measured in an incentivized experiment) are not robustly significantly correlated with the NEP scales. These estimation results recommend the additional inclusion of economic preferences in econometric analyses that use a NEP scale as explanatory factor of main interest for environmentally relevant behavior. Based on two empirical examples on stated and revealed environmental donations, it is shown that not considering social preferences, i.e. altruism, trust, and positive and negative reciprocity can lead to strong distortions due to omitted variable biases. The biased estimation of the effect of a NEP scale in this case is additionally illustrated in systematic Monte Carlo experiments with data generation processes from the empirical example with realized environmental donation activities.
Climate change is a critical environmental issue that has threatened sustainable rice production in Nigeria. The application of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) technologies by smallholder farmers is vital for sustaining rice production in the face of climate change impacts. We investigate rice farmers’ preferences and elicit willingness to pay (WTP) for CSA technologies, using the contingent valuation method (CVM). We find that most farmers do not utilize innovative CSA technologies. The CSA technologies most preferred by farmers are drip irrigation, drainage management, and weather-based rice agro-advisories. At the same time, they are willing to pay 40.25 for knowledge-smart, 17.97 for nutrient-smart, 6.82 for carbon-smart, and $1.85 for energy-smart technologies. Age, gender, access to credit, education, extension visit, farm size, and social group membership are significant predictors of farmers’ choices.
Key policy insights
• Identifying and prioritizing farmers’ preferred CSA technologies would enable them and other relevant stakeholders to make investment decisions.
• Given farmers’ low willingness to pay for CSA technologies, incentives such as subsidies and interest-free loans should be provided to boost uptake.
• Committing a substantial amount of money to credit facilities would help scale up CSA technologies’ adoption.
• A robust framework on the revitalization of agricultural extension services would increase extension visits, helping to scale up farmers’ adoption of CSA technologies.
This paper explores whether efficacy beliefs can alter the relationship between worry about climate change and personal energy-saving behaviors, controlling for climate change beliefs and socio-demographics. For this purpose, we used data from 23 countries that participated in the European Social Survey Round 8 (N = 44 387). Worry about climate change, personal efficacy, personal outcome expectancy, and collective outcome expectancy were each associated with personal energy-saving behaviors concerning either energy curtailment or energy efficiency. The results further show that outcome expectancies moderate the association between worry about climate change and both types of energy behaviors. Worry was more strongly related to energy curtailment behaviors among those with high levels of personal and collective outcome expectancy. A similar pattern was found for energy efficiency behaviors, which were more strongly predicted by worry about climate change when combined with high levels of collective outcome expectancy. These findings are relevant for climate change communication, especially informational campaigns aiming to lower overall household energy use.
Dunlap and Van Liere's New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale, published in 1978, has become a widely used measure of proenvironmental orientation. This article develops a revised NEP Scale designed to improve upon the original one in several respects: ( 1 ) It taps a wider range of facets of an ecological worldview, ( 2 ) It offers a balanced set of pro- and anti-NEP items, and ( 3 ) It avoids outmoded terminology. The new scale, termed the New Ecological Paradigm Scale, consists of 15 items. Results of a 1990 Washington State survey suggest that the items can be treated as an internally consistent summated rating scale and also indicate a modest growth in pro-NEP responses among Washington residents over the 14 years since the original study.
Environmental organizations and natural resource agencies often seek education and communication strategies to encourage effective conservation behaviors. This paper extends the discussion from the Conservation Psychology Dialogue in May 2002 to define two broad avenues for activities that may nudge individuals and society toward more responsible environmental behaviors: the specific route of changing behavior with social marketing tools and the general route of cultivating environmental literacy through educational programs. A review of the research literature identifies some of the factors that encourage targeted behaviors and factors that contribute to environmental literacy. Strategies related to implementing programs in both areas are offered. Behavior change strategies include: ways of tailoring a message to the audience, types of information to provide, and methods for creating commitment. Ideas for how to promote environmental literacy can be found in research concerning significant life experiences and environment-based education.
Many disasters are a complex mix of natural hazards and human action. At Risk argues that the social, political and economic environment is as much a cause of disasters as the natural environment. Published within the International Decade of Natural Hazard Reduction, this book suggests ways in which both the social and natural sciences can be analytically combined through a 'disaster pressure and release' model. Arguing that the concept of vulnerability is central to an understanding of disasters and their prevention or mitigation, the authors explore the extent and ways in which people gain access to resources. Individual chapters apply analytical concepts to famines and drought, biological hazards, floods, coastal storms, and earthquakes, volcanos and landslides - the hazards that become disasters'. Finally, the book draws practical and policy conclusions to promote a safer environment and reduce vulnerability.
Adaptation has emerged as an important area of research and assessment among climate change scientists. Most scholarly work has identified resource constraints as being the most significant determinants of adaptation. However, empirical research on adaptation has so far mostly not addressed the importance of measurable and alterable psychological factors in determining adaptation. Drawing from the literature in psychology and behavioural economics, we develop a socio-cognitive Model of Private
Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change (MPPACC). MPPACC separates out the psychological steps to taking action in response to perception, and allows one to see where the most important bottlenecks occur—including risk perception and perceived adaptive capacity, a factor largely neglected in previous climate change research. We then examine two case studies—one from urban Germany and one from rural Zimbabwe—to explore the validity of MPPACC to explaining adaptation. In the German study, we find that MPPACC provides better statistical power than traditional socio-economic models. In the Zimbabwean case study, we find a qualitative match between MPPACC and adaptive behaviour. Finally, we discuss the important implications of our findings both on vulnerability and adaptation assessments, and on efforts to promote adaptation through outside intervention.
Efforts to explain environmental concern as a function of social structure have revealed some weak but reliable associations. Stronger associations have been found between environmental concern and social psychological variables including attitudes, beliefs, and worldviews. The authors used the 1993 General Social Survey to explore a conceptual framework that postulates four causal levels: social structural factors and early socialization experiences; general worldview and ideology about humanity and the environment; specific attitudes, beliefs, and cognitions about environmental issues; and environmentally relevant behavior. Each class of variable has explanatory power beyond that given by other classes of variables, with the social psychological variables generally adding more explanatory power than the structural variables. The patterns are different, however, for the five behavioral indicators. Efforts to explain the structural influences as indirect, operating through the social psychological variables, were mainly unsuccessful.
This article reports results from a 1992 Gallup survey conducted in six nations (Canada, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal and Russia) that explored public perceptions of global warming in some detail. Overall the results tend to support those of the small-scale but in-depth studies on which the present study built: Lay publics in these six nations see global warming as a problem, although not as serious as ozone depletion or rain forest destruction. Most people acknowledge that they do not understand global warming very well, and results from questions about the perceived causes and consequences of global warming illustrate their limited understanding. While often confusing global warming with ozone depletion and air pollution, majorities of respondents in all but Russia believe that it is already occurring and large majorities within all nations believe that it will occur within their lifetimes. Furthermore, as discussions of the `risk society' suggest, public perceptions of global warming do not vary consistently across differing social strata within the nations. The article ends by discussing implications of the results, and questions whether detailed public understanding of highly complex issues like global warming is feasible or even necessary for effective policy-making.
This article builds on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior and on Stern et al.'s value-belief-norm theory to propose and test a model that predicts proenvironmental behavior. In addition to relationships between beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, we incorporate Inglehart's postmaterialist and Schwartz's harmony value dimensions as contextual antecedents at the national level. Structural equation modeling analyses of a 27-country sample provide almost full support for the mediation model. Postmaterialistic values, but not harmony, affect environmental concern; in turn, environmental concern, perceived threat, and perceived behavioral control affect willingness to sacrifice, which then affects a variety of proenvironmental behaviors. The findings emphasize the contribution of cultural conditions to the shaping of individuals'actions vis-à-vis environmental issues, alongside individual-level social-psychological variables.
A simple model was tested in which attitudinal factors and external conditions act in combination to influence behavior. The model predicts that behavior is a monotonic function of attitudes and external conditions and that the strength of the attitude-behavior relationship is a curvilinear function of the strength of the external conditions, with extreme values setting boundary conditions on the applicability of attitude models. The model also allows for interactions in which perceived costs enter into the attitudinal process. Evidence is taken from a natural experiment in recycling in which collection bins for curbside pickup had been provided to 26% of 257 survey respondents. Consistent with the model, main effects of attitudes and external conditions were found, as was an interaction effect in which the Schwartz norm-activation model predicted recycling behavior only for households without bins. Interactive models such as the one developed here can yield better policy-relevant analyses by clarifying the relationships between external and internal influences on behavior change.
In this study, the role of values in the field of household energy use is investigated by using the concept of quality of life (QOL). Importance judgments on 22 QOL aspects could be summarized into seven clearly interpretable value dimensions. The seven value dimensions and general and specific environmental concern contributed significantly to the explanation of policy support for government regulation and for market strategies aimed at managing environmental problems as well as to the explanation of the acceptability of specific home and transport energy-saving measures. In line with earlier research, home and transport energy use were especially related to sociodemographic variables like income and household size. These results show that it is relevant to distinguish between different measures of environmental impact and different types of environmental intent. Moreover, the results suggest that using only attitudinal variables, such as values, may be too limited to explain all types of environmental behavior.
Time is fast running out for formulating a viable global climate policy regime even as it seems obvious that the major initiative will have to come from the United States, which currently appears indisposed to take any meaningful action at all. This paper reviews the prospects for emissions reductions in the US passenger transport sector and the technical, economic, social, and political barriers to developing policies that focus solely on technology or pricing. Using scenarios it shows that, in order to meet stringent emissions targets over the coming half-century, technology and pricing policies may have to be supplemented by strategies to change life-styles and land uses in ways that effectively reduce car dependence. In the medium to long term, bold initiatives that treat vehicle users as citizens capable of shifting their interests and behaviour could form kernels of social change that in turn provide opportunities for removing many of the social and political constraints.
Drawing on a recent multinational survey of environmental attitudes and behaviors, we examined the relation between religious beliefs and environmental concern. Measures included the revised New Environmental Paradigm (NEP), Thompson and Barton’s ecocentrism and anthropocentrism scales, a 12-item proenvironmental behavior scale, a measure of biblical literalism, and a measure of religious importance. Data are reported from 2,160 university students from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, the United States, and Venezuela. The data revealed a consistent pattern across countries. Respondents who expressed more literal beliefs in the Bible scored significantly lower on the NEP, lower on ecocentric environmental concerns, and higher on anthropocentric environmental concerns. No significant relation was found between biblical literalism and self-reported proenvironmental behavior.
Associations of forest recreation with environmental concern and proenvironmental behavior are explored using telephone survey data from samples of forest landowners and nonowners in Pennsylvania. Frequency of visits to forest areas and forest recreation activities are moderately associated with proenvironmental behavior but only weakly associated with environmental concern.
The predictive power of the Ajzen, Triandis, and Schwartz models are
compared in the context of car use for university routes. Two hundred fifty-four students
filled out a questionnaire designed to measure the components of the three models.
In the prediction of intention to use a car, results indicated that one variable from
the Trinandis model—role beliefs—increased the explanatory power offered by the
components of the Ajzen model. In the prediction of self-reported car use, one variable
of the Triandis model—car use habit—significantly increased the predictive
power of the Ajzen model. The central variable of the Schwartz model—personal
norm—exerted no significant effect either on intention or on behavior. The implications of the findings for interventions to reduce the car use of students for university
routes are discussed.
In our article entitled “The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: A Review of Hypotheses, Explanations and Empirical Evidence”
(POQ 44:181–97), two rows of correlations were reversed in Table 1. Under the study by Van Liere and Dunlap, 1978, figures for
the environmental funding scale appear where figures for the environmental regulations scale should be, and vice versa. We
regret the error and hope it has not caused undue confusion for anyone using these data.
Risk perception has traditionally been conceived as a cognitive phenomenon, basically a question of information processing. The very term perception suggests that information processing is involved and of crucial importance. Kahneman and Tversky suggested that the use of 'heuristics' in the intuitive estimation of probabilities accounts for biased probability perception, hence claiming to explain risk perception as well. The psychometric approach of Slovic et al, a further step in the cognitive tradition, conceives of perceived risk as a function of general properties of a hazard. However, the psychometric approach is shown here to explain only about 20% of the variance of perceived risk, even less of risk acceptability. Its claim to explanatory power is based on a statistical illusion: mean values were investigated and accounted for, across hazards. A currently popular alternative to the psychometric tradition, Cultural Theory, is even less successful and explains only about 5% of the variance of perceived risk. The claims of this approach were also based on a statistical illusion: 'significant' results were reported and interpreted as being of substantial importance. The present paper presents a new approach: attitude to the risk generating technology, general sensitivity to risks and specific risk explained well over 60% of the variance of perceived risk of nuclear waste, in a study of extensive data from a representative sample of the Swedish population. The attitude component functioning as an explanatory factor of perceived risk, rather than as a consequence of perceived risk, suggests strongly that perceived risk is something other than cognition. Implications for risk communication are discussed.
We present a theory of the basis of support for a social movement. Three types of support (citizenship actions, policy support and acceptance, and personal-sphere behaviors that accord with movement principles) are empirically distinct from each other and from committed activism. Drawing on theoretical work on values and norm-activation processes, we propose a value-belief-norm (VBN) theory of movement support. Individuals who accept a movement's basic values, believe that valued objects are threatened, and believe that their actions can help restore those values experience an obligation (personal norm) for pro-movement action that creates a predisposition to provide support; the particular type of support that results is dependent on the individual's capabilities and constraints. Data from a national survey of 420 respondents suggest that the VBN theory, when compared with other prevalent theories, offers the best available account of support for the environmental movement.
This paper integrates themes from psychology and economics to analyze pro-environmental behavior. Increasingly, both disciplines share an interest in understanding internal and external influences on behavior. In this study, we analyze data from a mail survey of participants and non-participants in a premium-priced, green electricity program. Internal variables consist of a newly developed scale for altruistic attitudes based on the Schwartz norm-activation model, and a modified version of the New Ecological Paradigm scale to measure environmental attitudes. External variables consist of household income and standard socio-demographic characteristics. The two internal variables and two external variables are significant in a logit model of the decision to participate in the program. We then focus on participants in the program and analyze their specific motives for participating. These include motives relating to several concerns: ecosystem health, personal health, environmental quality for residents in southeastern Michigan, global warming, and warm-glow (or intrinsic) satisfaction. In a statistical ranking of the importance of each motive, a biocentric motive ranks first, an altruistic motive ranks second, and an egoistic motive ranks third.
Despite the wealth of information which exists concerning environmental behavior, it is not known which variable or variables appear to be most influential in motivating individuals to take responsible environmental action. A meta-analysis of environmental behavior research was undertaken in an attempt to determine this. An exhaustive search of the empirically based environmental behavior research conducted over the past decade yielded a substantial number of studies representative of a broad academic base. The characteristics and findings of these studies served as the data for the meta-analysis. As a result of the meta-analysis, the following variables were found to be associated with responsible environmental behavior: knowledge of issues, knowledge of action strategies, locus of control, attitudes, verbal commitment, and an individual's sense of responsibility. A model of predictors of environmental behavior is proposed.
Interventions to change everyday behaviors often attempt to change people’s beliefs and intentions. As the authors explain, these interventions are unlikely to be an effective means to change behaviors that people have repeated into habits. Successful habit change interventions involve disrupting the environmental factors that automatically cue habit performance. The authors propose two potential habit change interventions. “Downstream-plus” interventions provide informational input at points when habits are vulnerable to change, such as when people are undergoing naturally occurring changes in performance environments for many everyday actions (e.g., moving households, changing jobs). “Upstream” interventions occur before habit performance and disrupt old environmental cues and establish new ones. Policy interventions can be oriented not only to the change of established habits but also to the acquisition and maintenance of new behaviors through the formation of new habits.
This essay is an attempt to expand a study reported in 1989 of the relationship between religion and concern for the environment in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here, only one variable was used, willingness to spend money on the environment, but findings were based on a national data set. The finding of the Tulsa study is confirmed: Low levels of environmental concern correlate with a biblical literalism. They also correlate with being Christian and with confidence in the existence of God. On the other hand, support for environmental spending correlates positively with a gracious image of God and with being Catholic. However, explanatory models suggest that it is not biblical literalism as such which relates to lack of environmental concern, but rather a rigid political and religious "story."
The research reported here examines the relationship between risk perceptions and willingness to address climate change. The data are a national sample of 1225 mail surveys that include measures of risk perceptions and knowledge tied to climate change, support for voluntary and government actions to address the problem, general environmental beliefs, and demographic variables. Risk perceptions matter in predicting behavioral intentions. Risk perceptions are not a surrogate for general environmental beliefs, but have their own power to account for behavioral intentions. There are four secondary conclusions. First, behavioral intentions regarding climate change are complex and intriguing. People are neither “nonbelievers” who will take no initiatives themselves and oppose all government efforts, nor are they “believers” who promise both to make personal efforts and to vote for every government proposal that promises to address climate change. Second, there are separate demographic sources for voluntary actions compared with voting intentions. Third, recognizing the causes of global warming is a powerful predictor of behavioral intentions independent from believing that climate change will happen and have bad consequences. Finally, the success of the risk perception variables to account for behavioral intentions should encourage greater attention to risk perceptions as independent variables. Risk perceptions and knowledge, however, share the stage with general environmental beliefs and demographic characteristics. Although related, risk perceptions, knowledge, and general environmental beliefs are somewhat independent predictors of behavioral intentions.
Policies designed to solve environmental problems are unlikely to succeed unless they have broad public support, but the motives for mass support are poorly understood. The problem is global in scope, but most of the relevant public opinion research done so far has been carried out in advanced industrial societies, usually Western democracies. Moreover, much of this research is limited to the tip of the iceberg, focusing on what people think about environmental problems without probing into why they think it or how deeply they are committed.
The analysis of mass attitudes toward environmental problems in this article uses evidence from representative national surveys of countries representing the entire developmental spectrum, from rich to poor nations, including not only Western democracies but authoritarian regimes and recently emerging democracies from the former communist bloc. The data come from the 1990–93 World Values survey, carried out in 43 countries containing 70% of the world's population. Our goal is to determine why given publics are—or are not—sufficiently concerned about environmental problems that they are willing to make financial sacrifices and undertake other actions in order to help protect the environment.
The research reported here examines the relationship between risk perceptions and willingness to address climate change. The data are a national sample of 1,225 mail surveys that include measures of risk perceptions and knowledge tied to climate change, support for voluntary and government actions to address the problem, general environmental beliefs, and demographic variables. Risk perceptions matter in predicting behavior intentions. Risk perceptions are not a surrogate for general environmental beliefs, but have their own power to account for behavioral intentions. There are four secondary conclusions. First, behavioral intentions regarding climate change are complex and intriguing. People are neither nonbelievers who will take no initiatives themselves and oppose all government efforts, nor are they believers who promise both to make personal efforts and to vote for every government proposal that promises to address climate change. Second, there are separate demographic sources for voluntary actions compared with voting intentions. Third, recognizing the causes of global warming is a powerful predictor of behavioral intentions independent from believing that climate change will happen and have bad consequences. Finally, the success of the risk perception variables to account for behavioral intentions should encourage greater attention to risk perceptions as independent variables. Risk perceptions and knowledge, however, share the stage with general environmental beliefs and demographic characteristics. Although related, risk perceptions, knowledge, and general environmental beliefs are somewhat independent predictors of behavioral intentions.
Evidence of socio-economic sensitivity to climate variability is accumulating and is largely based on modelling studies. This paper examines the impacts of climate extremes (unusually hot summers and unusually warm winters) from the perspective of the perception of the general public. Postal surveys were conducted for 2 regions in the UK: (1) southern England and (2) central and southern Scotland. Information was gathered regarding attitudes to warm climate anomalies, the perceived risks and benefits of recent extremes, and the perceived potential risks and benefits of such anomalies becoming more common in the future. The impacts of climate extremes were assessed with regard to (1) the individual's 'everyday life' and (2) the national 'good'. The responses indicate a high level of awareness of the impacts of climate extremes and deep concerns about global warming tempered by an appreciation that there is potential for both positive and negative outcomes. For several issues, the perception of respondents from Scotland and England differed significantly. In particular, more English than Scottish residents judge unusually warm summers as having a severe negative impact on agriculture and air quality than do Scottish residents. We suggest that regional differences in climate could at least in part explain the apparent geographic differences in response. The results indicate both short-term and long-term adaptive and behavioural responses to a season of exceptional warmth and a willingness to implement further lifestyle adjustments for a hypothetical future in which such events become more common.
National and international survey data on global warming are summarized in terms of levels of awareness, actual knowledge, degree of concern, perceived risk, and willingness to pay or sacrifice to mitigate or adapt to potential negative impacts. The data indicate the following: solid awareness of and support for general environmental goals; an awareness of and concern for global warming; a flawed understanding of global warming that is the result of an inappropriate application of a general pollution model; considerable perceived threat from global warming but less so than for most other issues; and a limited willingness to sacrifice to better cope with global warming. Although global warming generates concern around the globe, it is not a 'front-burner' issue. Concern tends to be highest in Canada, most of Europe and South America. Errors in assessing causes of global warming are global in nature. International data demonstrates considerable support for economic sacrifices to deal with environmental problems, including global warming. Our own data support but go beyond earlier data by implying that global warming is not a salient issue, and that people across the globe will support global climate change initiatives that do not levy unusual hardships; but they cannot be expected to voluntarily alter their lifestyles.
Nature-protective behavior cannot be sufficiently explained using a pure rational/cognitive approach. Therefore, in a questionnaire study (N = 281), the focus was on emotional motivations of this behavior, especially on a newly conceptualized construct: emotional affinity toward nature. All constructs were measured by reliable and valid scales. Multiple regression analyses reveal that (a) emotional affinity is as powerful to predict nature-protective behavior as indignation and interest in nature and together these three predictors explain up to 47% of variance of the criterion variables, and (b) 39% of emotional affinity toward nature traces back to present and past experiences in natural environments. The resulting integrative path model is discussed. Theoretical conclusions are drawn, and options for practical intervention are derived.
This research examines changes in the environmental coalition over the 1980s. During these years, concern over environmental problems has increased. How has the coalition favoring greater environmental protection changed? We use logistic regression to examine changing determinants of support for increased environmental spending. In brief, ideology, party identification, and age become less important as determinants, and education and urban residence become more important. The implications are discussed.
This study examines the influence of a major environmental problem, the 1988 drought, on environmental worldview. Its aims are to both examine the stability of environmental worldview and to further the development of theoretically based environmental social research. Guided by the New Environmental Paradigm, data are analyzed from statewide telephone surveys of Kentucky conducted in 1984 and 1988. In addition to the effects of other sociodemographic factors in both years, the analysis examines the influence of residing in a county which experienced water restrictions in 1988 on environmental worldview. There was an increase in the level of environmentalist worldview for the entire state population between 1984 and 1988. The only group for which the increase in environmentalist worldview was statistically significant for this interval was that which lived in a county which had water restrictions in 1988.
A social-psychological model is developed to examine the proposition that environmentalism represents a new way of thinking. It presumes that action in support of environmental quality may derive from any of three value orientations: egoistic, social-altruistic, or biospheric, and that gender may be implicated in the relation between these orientations and behavior. Behavioral intentions are modeled as the sum across values of the strength of a value times the strength of beliefs about the consequences of environmental conditions for valued objects. Evidence from a survey of 349 college students shows that beliefs about consequences for each type of valued object independently predict willingness to take political action, but only beliefs about consequences for self reliably predict willingness to pay through taxes. This result is consistent with other recent findings from contingent valuation surveys. Women have stronger beliefs than men about consequences for self, others, and the biosphere, but there is no gender difference in the strength of value orientations.
Climate scientists note that the effects of climate change vary regionally. Citizen willingness to absorb the costs of adaptation and mitigation policies may correspond with these place-specific effects. Geographic information systems (GIS) analytic techniques are used to map and measure survey respondents' climate change risk at various levels of spatial resolution and precision. Spatial data are used to analyze multiple measures of climate change vulnerability along with demographic, attitudinal, and perception-based variables derived from a representative national survey of U.S. residents to predict variation in support for interventionist climate change policies. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression results show that objective risk measures explain a modest amount of variation in our dependent variable. The effect of risk perception on climate policy support is far more robust. Of all variables examined, the extent to which citizens regard climate change as threatening to their material well-being drives support for costly climate change policies.
A model of travel mode choice is tested by means of a survey among 199 inhabitants of a village. Car choice behavior for a particular journey is predicted from the attitude toward choosing the car and the attitude toward choosing an alternative mode (i.e., train), on the one hand, and from general car habit, on the other hand. Unlike traditional measures of habit, a script-based measure was used. General habit was measured by travel mode choices in response to very global descriptions of imaginary journeys. In the model, habit is predicted from the degree of involvement with the decision-making about travel mode choice for the particular journey (decisional involvement) and from the degree of competition in a household with respect to car use. The model proves satisfactory. Moreover, as suggested by Triandis (1977), there is a tradeoff between attitude and habit in the prediction of behavior: When habit is strong the attitude-behavior relation is weak, whereas when habit is weak, the attitude-behavior link is strong.
Risk perception has traditionally been conceived as a cognitive phenomenon, basically a question of information processing. The very term perception suggests that information processing is involved and of crucial importance. Kahneman and Tversky suggested that the use of 'heuristics' in the intuitive estimation of probabilities accounts for biased probability perception, hence claiming to explain risk perception as well. The psychometric approach of Slovic et al, a further step in the cognitive tradition, conceives of perceived risk as a function of general properties of a hazard. However, the psychometric approach is shown here to explain only about 20% of the variance of perceived risk, even less of risk acceptability. Its claim to explanatory power is based on a statistical illusion: mean values were investigated and accounted for, across hazards. A currently popular alternative to the psychometric tradition, Cultural Theory, is even less successful and explains only about 5% of the variance of perceived risk. The claims of this approach were also based on a statistical illusion: 'significant' results were reported and interpreted as being of substantial importance. The present paper presents a new approach: attitude to the risk generating technology, general sensitivity to risks and specific risk explained well over 60% of the variance of perceived risk of nuclear waste, in a study of extensive data from a representative sample of the Swedish population. The attitude component functioning as an explanatory factor of perceived risk, rather than as a consequence of perceived risk, suggests strongly that perceived risk is something other than cognition. Implications for risk communication are discussed.
In the past, researchers in the field of environmental psychology have explained environmental perceptions primarily through socioeconomic and demographic factors. However, knowledge of and support for protecting specific natural features of the landscape should also be influenced by one’s location, setting, and proximity to such features. This article focuses on residents’familiarity with and concern for two creeks passing through San Antonio, TX. Using Geographic Information Systems analytical techniques, we expand on previous studies by introducing driving distance from the creeks to identify the effects of this location-based variable on environmental perceptions. Specifically, we test the degree to which the actual driving distance respondents live from two creeks affects respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of the water bodies. We show that when controlling for socioeconomic and geographic contextual variables, the residential distance variable remains a significant factor in explaining both familiarity with the creeks and views on the level of water pollution in them. Based on the results, we discuss the implications of incorporating proximity factors in watershed planning and policy.
Using data from a random sample survey of the population of British Columbia, this article addresses an anomaly in the literature on environmental concern and environmental action: the limited impact of self-interest, in the sense of behavior based on a personal threat from environmental problems, on the likelihood of environmental action. The issue is examined using a regression model that includes contextual effects and measures of political attitudes and environmental knowledge as determinants of individual action in support of environmental causes and collective action directed at halting or reversing environmental degradation. The analysis demonstrates that spatial variation in the nature of environmental problems has a significant effect on perceptions and behavior. Whereas protest behavior is more likely in areas dominated by resource extraction, willingness to incur economic costs in the interest of environmental protection is lower.
n response to the increasing decline of critical natural resources across the United States, public decision makers are abandoning the traditional species-by-species approach to regulation and instead are embracing ecosystem approaches to manage- ment. Ecosystem management represents a departure from traditional management approaches by addressing the interaction between biotic and abiotic components within a landscape or seascape, while incorporating human concerns (Szaro, Sexton, and Malone 1998). In this approach, entire ecological systems (e.g., watersheds, eco- logical communities, etc.), and the ecological structures, functions, and processes within them, become the focus for management efforts rather than a single species or Abstract While theorists and practitioners consis- tently call for widespread participation in ecosystem management and environmen- tal planning in general, few studies have empirically tested the assumption that community representation and stake- holder participation during the planning process will lead to stronger, more durable management plans. This article examines the impact of stakeholder representation and participation on ecosystem manage- ment strategies. It tests the relationship between community participation in the planning process and the quality of local plans associated with the long-term man- agement of ecological systems. Besides the overall breadth of stakeholder groups in- volved in planning, the effects of specific stakeholders are tested and discussed to determine which has the greatest impact on the quality of an adopted plan. Statisti- cal results indicate that the presence of specific stakeholders does in fact signifi- cantly increase ecosystem plans' quality. Policy implications are discussed to more effectively link the planning process to high- quality ecosystem planning outcomes.