Impact of empathy with nature on pro‐environmental behaviour

Abstract

Abstract Existing studies show the role of empathy with nature in improving attitudes toward the environment. This article demonstrates that induced empathy with nature can improve environmental behaviours and commitments. We find that environmental commitment and behaviour are positively affected by empathy with nature and establish a causal model between empathy with nature and pro‐environmental behaviour. We further investigate the relationship between self‐construal (interdependent or independent), empathy with nature (existing or non‐existing) and pro‐environmental behaviour. The results indicate that participants who have empathy with nature display stronger pro‐environmental behaviour, particularly in the private domain. Commitment to the environment plays a mediating role in this relationship and self‐construal plays a moderating role. Specifically, for individuals with interdependent self‐construal, empathy with nature promotes pro‐environmental behaviour, whereas for individuals with independent self‐construal, empathy with nature has no statistically significant effect on pro‐environmental behaviour.