Abstract
The study of pro-environmental behavior is foundational to environmental psychology. However, there is no dominant framework for categorizing behaviors (e.g., diet/travel; public/private; consumer/advocate) nor an umbrella theory for explaining how such behaviors arise. It remains unclear how researchers select which types of pro-environmental behavior to study. There is also debate about whether prioritizing easy-to-measure pro-environmental behaviors may limit the conservation impact of research. Learning how researchers select theories and behaviors to study, and what challenges they perceive in doing so, could help advance these debates. We report a survey of 225 pro-environmental behavior researchers about how they select theories, methods, and behaviors, and their open science practices, using closed questions and open responses with thematic coding. The results show gaps between what researchers recommend and what they practice (e.g., there are too few replications), and we identify the most used theories and what they are used for. The findings also provide insights on the most common types of pro-environmental behaviors and measures. Overall, these results show how researchers currently balance priorities, including the ease of measurement and the perceived importance of impact. We hope these results stimulate discussion and support high-quality research on pro-environmental behaviors.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.