The Importance of Environmental Knowledge for Private and Public Sphere Pro-Environmental Behavior: Modifying the Value-Belief-Norm Theory

Genovaitė Liobikienė,Mykolas Simas Poškus

doi:10.3390/su11123324

Abstract

The promotion of pro-environmental behavior is regarded as very important in solving environmental problems. The Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory usually emphasizes internal factors; however, we have transformed this theory by including the environmental knowledge as an external factor. The results showed that action-related environmental knowledge was related to the ecological worldview and directly influenced the private sphere behavior. The ecological worldview, which in this paper was operationalized as environmental concern, had a direct effect on public sphere behavior and an indirect effect on private behavior through awareness of behavioral consequences. Thus, in this paper we revealed how specific environmental knowledge influenced pro-environmental behavior. We also suggest that it is important to educate people about local and global environmental problems, about the impact of behavior on the environment not only in private but also in the public sphere, and to foster the ecocentrism, as well. In addition, we revealed the meaning and necessity of education for environmental citizenship.

Highlights

Increasing concern about global and local environmental problems and issues has led to the substantial efforts by policymakers and non-governmental organizations to promote pro-environmental behavior
Based on VBN theory, we suggest that the ecological worldview is important for awareness of behavioral consequences and propose the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 2 (H2): Environmental knowledge positively influences ecological worldview; Hypothesis 3 (H3): Ecological worldview positively influences the awareness of behavioral consequences
An ecological worldview has a direct positive and significant impact only on pro-environmental public behavior (β = 0.075, p = 0.012) but not on private behavior (β = −0.138, p = 0.05). These results suggest that an ecological worldview and environmental knowledge directly influence both types of pro-environmental behavior differently (Table 4)

Summary

Introduction

Increasing concern about global and local environmental problems and issues has led to the substantial efforts by policymakers and non-governmental organizations to promote pro-environmental behavior. VBN theory incorporates the value and norm components from the Norm Activation Model (NAM) [8,9,10] and the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) [11], which encompasses general beliefs and concerns about the environment and the need for actions to address environmental problems. Both the NAM and VBN models of pro-environmental behavior emphasize the value basis of pro-environmental behavior and how values translate into internalized norms which compel individuals to act pro-environmentally [9,12,13]. A great number of studies have applied VBN theory when analyzing sustainable travel mode choice [14,15,16]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion