The role of collectivism in modeling the adoption of renewable energies: a cross-cultural approach

Abstract

The present study intends to show how collectivism as a cultural dimension influences pro-environmental behavior, as well as attitude toward renewable energies (biomass and solar). It is expected that the higher is the level of a society’s collectivism, the greater will be its concern for the environment. We conducted online personal surveys with a pre-coded questionnaire in three countries (Germany, Mexico and Spain) with high, low and medium levels of collectivism, respectively (Hofstede in Culture’s consequences: international differences in work-related values (1st/Abridged eds). Beverly Hills, 1980). The data were assessed through structural equation modeling using AMOS 18 software. The results show that the level of collectivism/individualism is a determinant of the formation of pro-environmental behavior and impacts on consumers’ attitudes toward the adoption of renewable energy systems. The analysis confirms that the country with the highest level of collectivism develops stronger eco-friendly behaviors and stronger intentions to adopt renewable energy technologies.