Article
I could but I don't: What does it take to adopt pro-environmental behaviors in the United States?
Energy Research & Social Science
(2022)
Abstract
Today's individual and collective actions, and their effects on climate change, will have a profound impact on the future. Yet, the precise path to societal change remains unclear. Policymakers and environmental organizations can benefit by understanding people's decision-making process. This study investigated the predictors for four adoption levels of 18 transportation, energy, food, and activism behaviors. In addition to answering questions about adoption, participants responded to questions about demographics, attitudes, self-efficacy, moral foundations, and guilt and shame proneness. Multinomial logistic regressions indicated predictors differed between adoption levels. However, the most consistent predictor was self-efficacy. The results suggest that predictors differ between intention and implementation of a behavior in addition to adoption or rejection. Results also support existing evidence that self-efficacy is an important predictor of pro-environmental behavior adoption and suggest guilt and shame play a role.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2022
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102845
Citation Information
Peter D Howe. "I could but I don't: What does it take to adopt pro-environmental behaviors in the United States?" Energy Research & Social Science Vol. 93 (2022) p. 102845 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/peter_howe/105/