The New Environmental Paradigm and Personal Norms

Widegren, Oerjan. (1998). The new environmental paradigm and personal norms. Environment & Behavior, 30, 1, 75-100.

Using data from a nationwide representative sample of 1,018 Swedes (aged 18-80 yrs) and from members and activists of Swedish environmental organizations, proenvironmental behavior (PEB) is interpreted in light of S. H. Schwartz's (1977) norm activation theory, a social-psychological theory of altruism. A 6-item version of the The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale is used as an indicator of awareness of environmental consequences of intended behaviors, while inclination to guilt feelings and embarrassment in relation to harming the environment is used as an indicator of a personal norm. The main independent variables were an index of self-reported PEB and a measure of behavioral intention based on willingness to pay (WTP) higher prices for environmentally friendly foods. Regression analysis of self-reported PEB and WTP showed that the indicator of a personal norm was far more strongly correlated to PEB and WTP, respectively, than was the NEP scale. Background demographic factors including income, education, gender, and age, had surprising little influence on self-reported PEB and WTP.

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