The Influence of Social Desirability and Item Priming Effects on Reports of Proenvironmental Behavior

Abstract

Self-report methodology is subject to a variety of method biases, including impression management (IM) and item priming effects. These issues have received relatively little attention in the study of proenvironmental behavior (PEB), despite the heavy reliance on self-report in studies of PEB. The present study investigated IM bias and item order effects among 254 university students who responded to an online survey on PEB. The current study focused on data from five blocks of items: two behavior blocks, two intentions blocks, and one expected outcomes block. Blocks were administered to participants in one of eight preassigned orderings to provide for the investigation of order effects. Higher IM scores were associated with higher scores on both behavior blocks. Weak evidence of order effects was found, but in the opposite direction relative to previous literature. The results suggest that social desirability biases be considered in designing surveys, conducting analyses, and interpreting study findings.