Beyond Green Consumerism: Uncovering the Motivations of Green Citizenship (original) (raw)
Related papers
Being green: from attitude to actual consumption
Interest in issues associated with environmental sustainability is continuously growing and sustainable consumption is now a mainstream topic at the top of the international public administration agenda. However, the many studies about the general inconsistency between green consumer attitudes and green consumption have not considered two individual differences that seem to be interesting in order to explain the ethical consumer attitude-intention gap: regulatory focus and time horizon. Regulatory focus, being the strategic orientation individuals use to pursue their goals, might enhance consumers' sense of duty towards environmental issues. Time horizon represents the consumers' perceived time lag between their decision and its outcome, and can induce them to immediately engage in a specific behaviour. With this goal in mind, the present work illustrates the results of three experimental studies that focus on individual differences (regulatory focus and time horizon) that might influence consumers to comply with green consumption. Results show that prevention-focused individuals demonstrate a higher compliance with green behaviour, both in the short-term and in the long-term outcome horizons.
Living Well and Living Green: Participant Conceptualizations of Green Citizenship
World Sustainability Series, 2017
For many people, sustainable behavior can be clearly articulated through an array of consumer choices made every day based on: where products come from, the environmental impact of the ingredients in household products, and how products are disposed of at the end of their life cycle. But outside of consumerism, are there other avenues an individual might explore in the pursuit of living a sustainable lifestyle? In an activity called Conceptual Content Cognitive Mapping (3CM) completed by environmentally-concerned academics and professionals, this study asked what it means to be a green citizen. Green citizenship, as understood and lived by our participants, transcends multiple levels of involvement that extend beyond consumer behavior. Green citizens embrace their individual agency to affect change, while recognizing the socially embedded nature of their actions. Beyond the support of community networks, green citizens also identify higher institutional structures as both conduits and barriers to change. Implications for constructing supportive pathways to sustainable participation focusing on the whole citizen, rather than just the consumer, will be discussed.
2021
This study aims at embedding sustainability practices by exploring sustainable actions of individuals consisting the educated workforce of Greece. A tailored questionnaire was created and sent via e-mails to 500 respondents, to identify a snapshot of participants daily buying and consuming actions. 483 responses received and analyzed using statistical tools. They respond to recommendations for enhancing sustainability consciousness at individual level, inspiring people to buy sustainable, creating new consumption attitudes that are key factors for moving towards a sustainable citizenship. The findings will further provide information for a second paper on developing the ‘Go Sustainable Living’ digital application to be uploaded in individuals’ mobile phones, for rewarding users with points that correspond to each sustainable action and can later be used for discounts in all participating stores. The analysis showed that <30% of consumers are considered sustainability-conscious, 5...
Global Environmental Change, 23(1): 281-290, 2013
This exploratory mixed-methods study uses in-depth interviews to investigate the values, motivations, and routes to engagement of UK citizens who have adopted lower-carbon lifestyles. Social justice, community, frugality, and personal integrity were common themes that emerged from the transcripts. Concern about ‘the environment’ per se is not the primary motivation for most interviewees’ action. Typically, they are more concerned about the plight of poorer people who will suffer from climate change. Although biospheric values are important to the participants, they tended to score altruistic values significantly higher on a survey instrument. Thus, it may not be necessary to promote biospheric values to encourage lower-carbon lifestyles. Participants’ narratives of how they became engaged with climate action reveal links to human rights issues and groups as much as environmental organisations and positive experiences in nature. Some interviewees offered very broad (positive) visions of what ‘a low-carbon lifestyle’ means to them. This, and the fact that ‘climate change’ is not necessarily seen as interesting even by these highly engaged people, reveals a need for climate change mitigation campaigns to promote a holistic view of a lower-carbon future, rather than simply offering a ‘to do’ list to ‘combat climate change’.
Sustainable consumption and lifestyle change
The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Economic Behaviour, 2008
This chapter discusses the role of environmental morale and environmental motivation in individual behavior from the point of view of economics and psychology. It deals with the fundamental public good problem, and presents empirical (laboratory and field) evidence on how the cooperation problem can be overcome. Four different theoretical approaches are distinguished according to how individuals' underlying environmental motivation is modeled. Specifically, we look at the interaction between environmental policy and environmental morale through the lens of cognitive evaluation theory (also known as crowding theory). JEL classification: D64, H41, Q50, Z13
Achieving Sustainability - with the consumer or the citizen?
Achieving Sustainability In Forest-Based Industry, 2024
CITE AS: Kaputa V., Maťová H., Rácz A., & Wanat L. (2024). Achieving sustainability - with the consumer or the citizen? In Jelačič D. (Ed.), Achieving Sustainability In Forest-Based Industry (pp. 1–18). WoodEMA, i.a. https://www.woodema.org/book\_2024.html ABSTRACT: In this chapter we focus on the relationship between humans and their environment, specifically their pro-environmental decision-making. We present a synthesis of research findings on environmentally responsible man decision-making in psychological and social contexts. We consider this to be an important step in a deeper understanding of how, if at all, an individual 3can contribute to achieving sustainability. In particular, we are looking at the role of the individual – the man as citizen and the man as consumer – the value settings, attitudes and preferences that they more or less exercise in their purchasing decisions or manifest in their civic life. We present the results of research that analyses environmental citizenship in reflection with consumer decision-making and shows the link between mindful consumption and preferences for renewable materials.
Most Americans with pro-environmental values have been slow to make lifestyle choices that generate smaller, more globally sustainable carbon footprints. There is abundant research that aims to explain why making these environmental lifestyle changes are often slow to materialize, even when individuals have pro-environmental values. But what about the individuals who have made deliberate, calculative choices in how they have set up their lives in order to move closer to an equitable global carbon footprint? This unusual population is not always easy to find, but they do exist. Are they more prosocial, moralistic, altruistic, and/or pro-environmental than the average recycler? In reviewing the results of 16 interviews with individuals from this unique population, two striking commonalities emerged: utilitarianism and Universalism.
Me first, then the environment: young Millennials as green consumers
Young Consumers
Purpose This research aims to shed greater light on millennials’ green behavior by examining four psychographic variables (selfless altruism, frugality, risk aversion, and time orientation) that may be relevant to millennials’ motives to engage in environmental activities. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a sample of younger millennials (n = 276; age = 18 to 30) using a self-administered questionnaire. The data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Findings Overall, the results of the study reveal that rational and self-oriented rather than emotional and others-oriented motives lead millennials to act pro-environmentally. Practical implications The findings of this study have implications for environmental advocates, policymakers and green marketers. For instance, the findings suggest that environmental regulators and lawmakers should continue their efforts to provide economic incentives to encourage pro-environmental purchases am...