Changing environmental behaviour from the bottom up: The formation of pro-environmental social identities

Lise Jans

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101531

Abstract

Increasingly initiatives are formed from the bottom-up, by for example community members themselves, to stimulate pro-environmental behaviour in their overarching group. But can such bottom-up initiatives motivate pro-environmental behaviour, and why? I propose that perceiving a pro-environmental initiative as formed by regular group members themselves (i.e. from the bottom up) enables pro-environmental social identity formation, motivating behaviour accordingly. Three field studies around different initiatives supported this. Perceived bottom-up formation is positively associated with pro-environmental social identity (in content and strength), for members of the initiative (Study 1) and the overarching group (Study 2), and bottom-up pro-environmental initiative salience strengthens pro-environmental social identity in the overarching group (Study 3). Perceived bottom-up formation partly relates to self-reported pro-environmental behaviour (Study 2) and intentions (Studies 1 and 3) via pro-environmental social identity. Bottom-up pro-environmental initiatives may thus accelerate the transition towards pro-environmental practices; theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Highlights

Human behaviour plays a key role in the rise and severity of envi ronmental problems, and drastic changes in human behaviour are needed to mitigate climate change (Dietz et al, 2009; IPCC, 2018)
Perceived pro-environmental norms, initiative identification, and sustainable energy intentions decreased over time (Table 1)
Additional analyses with T2 dummycoded as the reference group, showed that at T3 pro-environmental norms, b = − 0.18, 95% CI (− 0.34: − 0.03), t (116) = − 2.33, p = .022, and pro-environmental intentions, b = − 0.20, 95% CI (− 0.37: − 0.04), t (128) = − 2.41, p = .017, were again significantly lower than at T2, and initiative identification was marginally lower, b = − 0.17, 95% CI (− 0.36: 0.01), t (222) = − 1.87, p =

Summary

Introduction

Human behaviour plays a key role in the rise and severity of envi ronmental problems, and drastic changes in human behaviour are needed to mitigate climate change (Dietz et al, 2009; IPCC, 2018). Unfortu nately, pro-environmental behaviours can be more expensive, more time-consuming, and less pleasurable than their environmental-harmful alternatives (Steg et al, 2014). Brennan, 2009; Miller, 2004; but see; Ostrom, 2010). It is assumed that such collective-action problems in which the actions that benefit the individ ual harm the collective, should be addressed by authorities from the top down with externally-imposed regulations What does this view entail for the increasingly small-scale pro-environmental initiatives that are emerging from the bottom up in cities, communities, and organizations (Rotmans, 2017)?

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