Why We Don't "Walk the Talk": Understanding the Environmental Values/Behaviour Gap in Canada

Huddart, E; Beckley, T M.; McFarlane, B L.; Nadeau, S. (2009). Why We Don't "Walk the Talk": Understanding the Environmental Values/Behaviour Gap in Canada. Human Ecology Review, 16(2) 151-160.

Worldwide, studies have shown increases in environmental values and beliefs over the past four decades. However, in few cases have researchers observed parallel increases in environmentally-supportive behaviour (ESB). In fact, the gap between environmental values and ESB is of growing concern for both academics and practitioners. We explored 'the environmental values-behaviour gap' through a nationwide survey in Canada (n=1664). Approximately 72% of respondents 'self-report' a gap between their intentions and their actions. We explore three categories of explanatory variables to account for the gap: individual, household, and societal. The descriptive analysis presented here provides a better understanding of why good intentions do not always translate into environmentally supportive behaviour We demonstrate the relative importance of the three categories of constraint variables.

Find this article online
Site Courtesy of
McKenzie-Mohr & Associates

Expertise in Community-Based Social Marketing