Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology · 1998 · 485 citations · 29 references
Natural ResourcesEnvironmental Social ScienceEnvironmental AttitudesEnvironmental PsychologyEnvironmental ValuesEnvironmental AwarenessEnvironmental BeliefsEnvironmental DeterminantsEnvironmental ResponsibilityEnvironmental WorldviewsSocial ResponsibilityProenvironmental BehaviorValue-belief-norm Theory
The study investigated how personal values, environmental awareness, and responsibility influence pro‑environmental behaviors across multiple countries. Researchers surveyed 897 college students in Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Spain, and the United States, measuring Schwartz values, pro‑environmental actions, responsibility attribution, the New Environmental Paradigm, and demographics. Regression analyses found that self‑transcendence values, particularly environment‑oriented items, predict pro‑environmental behavior in Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, and the U.S., and partially support extending Schwartz’s norm‑activation model to this domain.
This multinational study examined the relationship between values, awareness of the consequences for environmental damage, ascribed responsibility, and proenvironmental behaviors. Survey data were collected from college students in Mexico (n = 187), Nicaragua (n = 78), Peru ( n = 160), Spain ( n = 187), and the United States ( n = 345). Measures included items from Schwartz's values instrument, self-reported proenvironmental behaviors, ascribed responsibility, the New Environmental Paradigm, and demographics. Regression analyses revealed a positive relationship between items within self-transcendence (especially the environment-oriented items) and proenvironmental behavior in Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, and the United States. Additional analyses provided partial support for the extension of Schwartz's model of norm-activation to proenvironmental behavior.
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