Examining the Relationship between Individualism and Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Moderating Role of Social Cohesion

Abstract

Combining Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, value–belief–norm theory, and social exchange theory, this study explores the impact of individualism and social cohesion on pro-environmental behavior (PEB) as well as the moderating role of social cohesion in the individualism–PEB link in the context of Korean society. Using the 2021 Korean General Social Survey and multiple linear regression analyses, we found that individualism is negatively related to PEB, whereas social cohesion is positively related to PEB. Further analysis showed that social cohesion attenuates the negative relationship between individualism and PEB. Our findings suggest that although individuals with high levels of individualism are less likely to perform PEB than those with a high level of collectivism, social cohesion is a valuable community resource that encourages them to engage in eco-friendly activities even when they seek to achieve person-oriented goals and pursue their own interests. The implications and contributions of these findings regarding environmental psychology are discussed.

Firms for Sustainable Manufacturing: Understanding the Key Determinants of Pro-environmental Behaviour

“…Research on environmental conservation and sustainability in the field of human resource management (HRM) has been attracting more attention, and scholars have derived research findings that HRM can contribute to achieving sustainable environmental objectives (Ansari et al, 2021;Kim & Lee, 2022;Latif et al, 2022). Additionally, a study that combined Hofstede's cultural dimensions, value-belief-norm theory and social exchange theory was conducted (Moon et al, 2023). Research on pro-environmental behaviour was also conducted on the 100 companies in the Forbes GLOBAL 2000 ranking.…”