Abstract
Recent studies have indicated a positive association between patriotism and environmentalism; however, the correlation between them has not yet been quantitatively verified. Additionally, differences in “good” versus “blind” patriotism have been ignored in environmental behavior studies; thus, theoretical concepts related to their effects on environmentalism have not been empirically tested. The present study aims to reveal the effects of good patriotism and social consideration on pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and the mediating effect of social consideration on the relationship between patriotism and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, while removing national or political prejudice or ideology from the measurement of patriotism. Data collected using a self-report questionnaire were analyzed for Chinese university students and workers. Results of multiple hierarchical linear regression analysis of five pro-environmental attitudes/behaviors estimation models showed that patriotism was correlated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and this correlation was completely mediated by individual social consideration, which was strongly and positively correlated with both patriotism and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Our findings show that patriotism encourages people to focus on societal structures and environmental problems. The effect of good patriotism on individual pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors is clearly different from that of blind nationalism, as shown in previous literature. The present study highlights implications for future policy-making and education on patriotism and environmentalism in China.
Highlights
Patriotism is the “love, devotion, and a strong differential concern for one’s own locality, state, region, or country, shown both in thought and action” [13], p. 186
We observed that “good” patriotism strengthened participants’ pro-environmental factors; notably, this correlation was completely mediated by social consideration
Contradicting the argument made in previous literature that negative aspects of patriotism or nationalism lead people to ignore national or local environmental problems [4, 10, 11, 13, 17, 52, 53, 76, 82, 98], we found that the positive aspect of patriotism clearly oriented people toward hope and taking action for national sustainability
Summary
Patriotism is the “love, devotion, and a strong differential concern for one’s own locality, state, region, or country, shown both in thought and action” [13], p. 186. Patriotism is frequently regarded as analogous to nationalism, which can be considered a result of national identity [10], where one shares membership and interests with a nation [97]. National identity is identification with a social group [55], and such collective identification is significantly related to willingness to participate in collective action [81, 83]. If they are induced by perceived ethnic competition and threats, patriotism and nationalism can be closely associated with chauvinism [19]. Some studies have postulated that patriotism differs from nationalism and chauvinism [7, 10].
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