Influences on Attitude-Behavior Relationships: A Natural Experiment with Curbside Recycling
Guagnano, G. A., Stern, P. C., & Dietz, T. (1995). Influences on attitude-behavior relationships: A natural experiment with curbside recycling. Environment and Behavior, 27, 5, 699-718.
To test a model in which attitudinal factors & external conditions act in combination to influence behavior, evidence was gathered in in a natural experiment in recycling in which collection bins for curbside pickup had been provided to 26% of 257 telephone survey respondents in Fairfax County, VA. Consistent with the model, main effects of attitudes & external conditions were found, as was an interaction effect in which the Schwartz norm-activation model predicted recycling behavior only for households without bins. Interactive models such as the one developed here can yield better policy-relevant analyses by clarifying the relationships between external & internal influences on behavior change. 3 Tables, 2 Figures, 44 References. Adapted from the source document.
