The influence of environmental attitudes and perceived effectiveness on recycling, reducing, and reusing packaging materials in Spain

Abstract

This study explores how an individual’s reported waste-related behaviors are affected by environmental attitudes and perceived effectiveness when facing a descriptive norm conflict (i.e., when the individual is the only person behaving pro-environmentally). The influence of the sociodemographic characteristics of gender, age, and education level is also examined. The reported behaviors relate to the 3Rs of waste management: reducing (buying minimally packaged products), reusing (buying products with reusable packaging), and recycling behaviors (separating glass, plastic, and paper). Based on a nationally representative sample of Spanish residents aged over 17 years (n = 2487), this study uses logistic regression analysis to assess the relationships between variables. The results show a positive relationship between environmental attitudes and the five reported waste-related behaviors. There is also a positive association between perceived effectiveness of one’s own behavior (when nobody else acts pro-environmentally) and the five waste-related behaviors. Regarding sociodemographic characteristics, the results suggest that women, older individuals, and highly educated people engage more in these 3R behaviors. Building on these findings, policy and managerial implications are provided. For example, campaigns to promote environmental attitudes and the effectiveness of pro-environmental behaviors could focus on reducing and reusing behaviors, which entail the purchase of green products. Finally, some directions for future research are discussed.