The burden of climate action: How environmental responsibility is impacted by socioeconomic status

Abstract

As climate change increasingly wreaks havoc, sustainability is becoming a moral imperative. Yet, the strength of individuals' moral obligations to engage in sustainable actions may vary in accordance with their societal positions. In three studies (total N = 614), we investigated how moral obligations vary as a function of socioeconomic status (SES). Participants evaluated their own and others' obligations to engage in sustainable behaviors through vignettes that varied the cost of these behaviors and the SES of the characters who were engaged in these behaviors. Results showed that perceived moral responsibility was diminished in cases when sustainability required monetary sacrifice, particularly when the people being evaluated were individuals of low SES. The increase in moral obligation associated with elevated SES of the characters in the vignettes was fully mediated by perceptions of greater affordability and by perceptions of greater culpability for contributing to climate change. However, we did not find strong evidence that participants’ own SES had an effect on their judgments. Overall, rather than sustainability being considered a blanket obligation that is applicable across people and contexts, people typically ascribe more moral responsibility when sustainability is not financially burdensome.