Understanding the Determinants of Environmentally Conscious Behavior
Lee, J. A. & Holden, S. J. S. (1999). Understanding the determinants of environmentally conscious behavior. Psychology and Marketing, 16, 5, 373-392.
Examined the various motivational determinants of environmental consumer behavior based on C. D. Batson's (1987) model of prosocial behavior. 78 undergraduate business students (median age 21 yrs) participated in a survey measuring prosocial motivations and attitudes, and environmental behavior. Support was found for 2 independent determinants of environmental behavior, the first being motivation based on internal responses of distress, the second being motivation based on empathy. The advantage of motivating environmental behavior through distress and empathy, over the more standard approaches based on attitudes and rewards or punishments, are discussed. In addition, the research supports the role of perceived consumer effectiveness and faith in others as determinants of some environmentally conscious consumer behaviors. The dispositional variables, behavioral measures, and four-factor pattern of behavioral measures are appended.
