The influence mechanism of environmental anxiety on pro‐environmental behaviour: The role of self‐discrepancy

Abstract

Environmental anxiety (EA) caused by environmental pollution has prompted consumers to change their behaviour towards greener, lower‐carbon and environmentally friendly. However, its boundary conditions and internal mechanisms are still unclear. With two experiments based on attentional control theory and self‐discrepancy theory, this study aimed to explore the influence mechanism of EA on PEB. In Experiment 1, it was found that environmental anxiety can directly and significantly affect Pro‐environmental behaviour intention (PEBI). In Experiment 2, it was found that at high levels of self‐discrepancy, EA can directly and significantly affect compensatory PEBI, and guilt can play a significant mediating role in the effect of EA on compensatory PEBI. However, EA does not significantly affect promotional PEBI. At low levels of self‐discrepancy, EA can directly and significantly affect promotional PEBI but cannot affect compensatory PEBI. Therefore, we concluded that the same PEB could have different psychological mechanisms in different contexts.

Perceived Environmental Responsibilities and Green Buying Behavior: The Mediating Effect of Attitude

“…These customers are actively committed to or aware of their intention to acquire environmentally friendly goods [7]. There are a plethora of studies that have been conducted worldwide on pro-environmental behavior [17][18][19][20][21][22], green consumption [23][24][25][26], the purchase of eco-labeled products [27,28] and organic foods [29][30][31][32], that focus as well on various other types of green products as research objectives. However, studies on green buying behavior are limited in South Asian countries (Table 1), as only a few studies have been acknowledged from India [33][34][35][36][37][38], Pakistan [39], and Sri Lanka [40,41].…”

How Does Being Solo in Nature Affect Well-Being? Evidence from Norway, Germany and New Zealand

“…In particular, emotions such as melancholy, sadness and anger have rarely been reported in previous solo studies. The current study found that several participants reported negatively perceived emotions, feeding into the environmental anxiety discourse-a contemporary cross-cultural fear of destroying nature [58]. Those emotions were often linked to the motivation of engaging in pro-environmental initiatives and behaviours: "To hear few native birds made me sad .…”

Impact of ambivalent attitudes on green purchase intentions: The role of negative moods

“…Environmental problems, such as air pollution, have been found to trigger state anxiety (Lu et al., 2020). Anxious moods about the environment arise when an individual is aware of potential threats from environmental pollution, which is considered a state anxiety reaction (Gao et al., 2020). The feelings‐as‐information theory (Schwarz, 1990) posits that individuals who feel anxious are likely to interpret their feelings as a sign of high uncertainty and low control over future outcomes.…”

“…A recent study by Gao et al. (2020) showed a positive link between environmental anxiety and intention to engage in pro‐environmental behavior, such as tree planting. However, in the context of green product purchasing, while consumers express concerns about environmental issues, this ecological consciousness does not necessarily translate into active green purchasing behavior (Johnstone & Tan, 2015).…”

“…(2018) found that air pollution directly affected residents’ anxious and depressed moods. Negative affects (i.e., anxiety and depression) deriving from environmental problems are a global issue and have become a common public concern (Gao et al., 2020). Studies in the United Kingdom, Greenland, and Australia have revealed a growing trend of people reporting feeling anxious and depressed due to environmental issues (Nugent, 2019).…”