Do we Know What we Need to Know? Objective and Subjective Knowledge Effects on Pro-Ecological Behaviors. Special Issue: Linking Theory to Policy

307 adults were administered a questionnaire to assess the extent to which Ss possessed the subjective and objective knowledge of the information necessary to choose products with consideration for disposal and its impact. The degree to which Ss performed recycling, precycling, or source reduction behaviors and associated political actions was also assessed. Objective knowledge was relatively low among a group of environmentally concerned Ss but was not significantly related to perceived knowledge, which suggests that persons who believe they are knowledgeable may not, in fact, have the requisite knowledge to make sound ecological decisions. Examination of the effects of each type of knowledge on behaviors indicates that objective knowledge was only significantly related to committed recycling behaviors, whereas perceived knowledge was positively associated with committed recycling, source reduction, and political action behaviors.