Pro-Environmental Habits: Propensity Levels in Behavioral Change

Examined relationships between habits, beliefs about products, choice criteria for purchasing, and perceptions of such factors, applied to the area of buying home detergents and washing-up liquids. 500 Swedish 20-70-yr-olds completed a questionnaire about purchasing behavior, attitudes toward environmental problems, and how influential a number of potential consequences would be for changing habits into more environmentally friendly ones. Results support the hypothesis that general factors such as environmental values and a sense of responsibility for the environment will be more influential in an early phase rather than in a later phase of changing established habits regarding purchases of washing and washing-up detergents, respectively. In a later phase of transition, specific beliefs about particular products will affect the testing and evaluation of a new behavior.