How does Schwartz's theory of human values affect the proenvironmental behavior model?

Abstract

PurposeThe diversity of perspectives means that one can find many factors and models of proenvironmental behavior. However, they typically suffer from limitations and varying degrees of validity in specific contexts, suggesting that today the prime goal should be to learn and improve the models which have been already developed. In this study, the authors build on the model for predicting proenvironmental behavior developed by Oreg and Katz-Gerro (2006), namely one of the most comprehensive cross-national proenvironmental behavior models and one of the few not to be limited to either a local or single-country context or specific proenvironmental behavior.Design/methodology/approachBy using the statistical matching technique, the authors merged data from two existing databases without common identifiers – the International Social Survey Program (environmental module) and the European Social Survey (Round 5). The resulting multinational data concerning 9,710 observations enabled a replication with extensions of Oreg and Katz-Gerro's (2006) proenvironmental behavior model that incorporates newly added Schwartz's theory of human values. To achieve the study's main objective, that is, to present improvements to the original model of proenvironmental behavior, the authors used structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures to estimate four competing models in the R program.FindingsThis study implies that Schwartz's individually measured motivational types of values (benevolence [BE], universalism [UN], self-direction [SD]) are predictors of people's proenvironmental behavior, while his conceptualization of post-materialism yields a better model fit than Inglehart's country-level post-materialism scores. The results also corroborate previous findings that post-materialist values can stimulate proenvironmental behaviors through attitudes, perceived behavioral control and intentions. The present study reveals that proenvironmental attitudes did not change substantially in the 10-year period, even though the world's environmental and sustainability challenges have largely increased. Surprisingly, the mean value of several of the perceived threat variables even decreased.Originality/valueThe authors externally validate one of the most comprehensive proenvironmental behavior models by reproducing it using new multinational large-sample data with nearly 10,000 observations collected 10 years later. The most significant addition to the original model introduced in the current study is the inclusion of Schwartz's motivational types of values, which are measured at the individual level, namely BE, UN and SD. The authors also extend the model by adding proenvironmental behavior measures and group the construct into three latent variables: saving natural resources, green purchasing and environmental activism.

Effects of personal environmental awareness and environmental concern on employees' voluntary pro-environmental behavior: a mediation analysis in emerging countries

“…Some scholars (e.g. Primc et al. , 2021; Zientara and Zamojska, 2018) claim, for instance, that environmental values directly affect the engagement in PEB.…”

How higher‐order personal values affect the purchase of electricity storage—Evidence from the German photovoltaic market

“…Environmental concern was not affected, and thus hypothesis H_04 had to be rejected. While the influence of openness to change on perceived risk can be explained by the fact that people with a high appreciation for openness are more likely to be assigned to the anxiety-free individuals who perceive risk less strongly, the lack of influence on environmental concern is contrary to, e.g., (Primc et al, 2021), whose research linked self-direction to environmental concern. An explanation can be taken from the theory that assigns openness to change to the personal rather than the social hemisphere (Cieciuch & Schwartz, 2017).…”

“…They are interested not only in their own concerns but also in the environment. Primc, Ogorevc, Slabe‐Erker, Bartolj, and Murovec (2021, p. 287) found that self‐direction had a positive influence on environmental concern. Therefore, we expect a negative influence of openness on perceived risk and a positive effect on environmental concern, and we develop the following hypotheses:…”

“…Concerning values, they found that biospheric values most strongly predicted pro‐environmental behavior (Gatersleben et al, 2014, p. 388). Primc et al (2021, p. 287) argued that the opposite is true for egoistic, or self‐enhancement, values, thus leading us to develop the following hypotheses:…”

The Relationship between Consumers‘ Characteristics and the Expectations towards a Brand‘s Value

“…The multiplicity of definitions is a result of the fact that in many areas value has a different meaning and concerns a different conceptual scope. One of the definitions of values existing in psychology is Schwartz's approach, which assumes that values are concepts or beliefs about desirable goals that describe specific states of affairs or behaviour (Primc et al, 2021). For the human, values are ordered by importance.…”