Ecological Beliefs Research Articles

Comparing Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors between an Indigenous and a Non-indigenous Sample from New Zealand and the United States of America

While there has been a substantial amount of literature published on environmental beliefs and behaviors, cross-cultural research in this area, particularly comparisons between indigenous vs. non-indigenous people, remains limited. The current study conducted a comparison of the environmental beliefs and behaviors, as well as political attitudes, between an indigenous and a non-indigenous sample of New Zealand and the US (total n=322). Respondents included students at the University of Waikato in New Zealand (Māori and European New Zealanders) and the University of North Carolina Pembroke in the US (Lumbees and non-indigenous Americans). The participants provided responses regarding their ecological worldview, belief in global climate change, and participation in environmentally responsible behaviors as well as their political attitudes, including system justification and political liberalism. Results showed that the New Zealand sample was more politically liberal and demonstrated more environmentally friendly beliefs and behaviors than the US sample. The indigenous group did not differ in their environmental beliefs or behaviors from their non-indigenous counterpart, but did endorse less system justification. Mediation analyses indicated that ecological worldview and belief in global climate change together fully mediated the link between political liberalism and environmentally responsible behavior. Implications of these findings for environmental behavior research and education are discussed.

Adopting Digital Technologies to Stay Green: A Configurational Analysis

Prior research extensively addressed the adoption of digital and of green innovations. However, these research streams developed separately from each other, ignoring the complex affordances of digital technologies: Different adopters can use same technological functionalities because of different rationales and for different purposes. Moreover, previous adoption studies have been dominated by “correlational theorizing” (Delbridge & Fiss, 2013), highlighting the isolated effects of diverse adoption antecedents. Addressing these shortcomings, we argue that adoption of digital technologies can be driven by complex configurations of three mechanisms –the economic rationale, the ecological beliefs and values, and the social pressure towards conformity. We integrate these mechanisms within a comprehensive theoretical framework and collect data from 53 “green innovators” – owners of biogas plants in the German’s energy sector that is currently in the midst of transition toward sustainability and digitization. We analyze data by the use of the fsQCA methodology. Our findings reveal four archetypes of adopters that essentially differ with regard to the configuration of adoption antecedents. Our study contributes to the literature by shedding light on new affordances of digital technologies, providing a more comprehensive understanding of technology adoption factors, and developing theoretical bridges between digital innovation research and green entrepreneurship.

Green Innovative Product and Its Effects on Environmental

The presence of green innovative product (GIP) is observed to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions as they become more ecologically aware of the effects caused by conventional products’ consumption to the environment. This article reviews the concept behind GIP and its effect on consumer’s behavior. The article focuses on the meaning and classification of GIP and on how it affects consumer’s behavior in terms of their satisfaction, environmental attitude and also purchase. Several issues that arise for customer when they consume GIP will be raised. The article will also address why the industry such as oil and gas needs to cater to the need for GIP and provide basic guidelines on how this is achieved without too much difficulty. The insights are expected to help build our understanding on the importance of GIP to be researched and on the potential of its commercial value that encourages consumers to repeat purchase after consuming it. In addition, the insights may give an idea for government and the industry in forming and formulating appropriate policies as well as increasing public’s environmental sensitivity. The article implies the important connection between GIP and individual’s identity as well as their ecological beliefs.

Personal and Environmental Factors that Influence the Ecological Behaviour of Energy-Efficient Appliance Purchases

This study investigates the effects of personal and environmental factors on ecological beliefs and ecological behaviour and assesses the mediating and moderating influences in this model. This study utilises 592 questionnaire surveys among Malaysian consumers. A partial least squares technique (PLS) was utilised to analyse the data and to test the study hypotheses. The findings show that personal and environmental factors have a positive influence on ecological beliefs and ecological behaviour; ecological beliefs are positively related to ecological behaviour. Additionally, ecological beliefs mediate the relationship between personal factors and ecological behaviour, and the relationship between environmental factors and ecological behaviour. The present study is among the pioneers in including environmental factors and ecological beliefs in pro-environmental studies. In the context of energy-efficient appliance purchases, the findings elaborate on the existing knowledge of personal and environmental factors, and individual’s beliefs.

Highly invasive tree species are more dependent on mutualisms.

Why some species become invasive while others do not remains an elusive question. It has been proposed that invasive species should depend less on mutualisms, because their spread would then be less constrained by the availability of mutualistic partners. We tested this idea with the genus Pinus, whose degree of invasiveness is known at the species level (being highly and negatively correlated with seed size), and which forms obligate mutualistic associations with ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). Mycorrhizal dependence is defined as the degree to which a plant needs the mycorrhizal fungi to show the maximum growth. In this regard, we use plant growth response to mycorrhizal fungi as a proxy for mycorrhizal dependence. We assessed the responsiveness of Pinus species to EMF using 1,206 contrasts published on 34 species, and matched these data with data on Pinus species invasiveness. Surprisingly, we found that species that are more invasive depend more on mutualisms (EMF). Seedling growth of species with smaller seeds benefited more from mutualisms, indicating a higher dependence. A higher reliance on EMF could be part of a strategy in which small-seeded species produce more seeds that can disperse further, and these species are likely to establish only if facilitated by mycorrhizal fungi. On the contrary, big-seeded species showed a lower dependence on EMF, which may be explained by their tolerance to stressful conditions during establishment. However, the limited dispersal of larger seeds may limit the spread of these species. We present strong evidence against a venerable belief in ecology that species that rely more on mutualisms are less prone to invade, and suggest that in certain circumstances greater reliance on mutualists can increase spread capacity.

Mode choice and mode commitment in commuters

In New Zealand, like many other developed countries, a majority of trips (67%) involve the use of private cars, producing negative effects on the environment and public health. Interventions aimed to reduce car use can be successful if we not only understand the reasons car users drive but also why other commuters use more sustainable alternatives. Although a range of possible motivating factors have been previously identified in the literature, the significance of the present study was to address the question of whether these motivating factors interact with each other to influence commuters’ intentions to choose a particular mode for their daily commute. A sample of commuters completed an online survey and a subset completed a 1-week travel diary later. Social norms were a significant predictor of drivers’ and car passengers’ intentions to use the car, whereas ease-of-use was a significant predictor of drivers’ intentions to drive and active commuters’ intentions to walk or cycle. All commuters had comparable ecological beliefs and mode-related status which were not related to their intentions to use their travel modes. Although all the commuters were committed to their mode choice for daily commute, drivers and pedestrians were more likely to use only their respective travel modes for daily commute, whereas passengers, bus users, and cyclists were more likely to use a combination of several modes. Future research might productively explore subtypes of car commuters and additional analysis techniques to identify ways of nudging car commuters to reduce their car use in favour of sustainable alternatives.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGICAL BELIEF TOWARDS GREEN FOOD PRODUCT

This paper deals with the relationship between the consumer behaviour and ecological belief towards green food product. The study was conducted in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Chennai has the maximum number of organic shops and customers are comparatively aware about green products. The organic shops in Chennai have extended their sales in all varieties of products such as organic vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses, greens, packaged items and FMCG products etc. These varieties of products attract more numbers of customers.

“Not an Environmentalist”: Strategic Centrism, Cultural Stereotypes, and Disidentification

Birding has long been associated with environmental activism, from its origins as a scientific hobby in the nineteenth century to today’s citizen scientist birders. My research with birders shows that despite their political activism, personal actions, and ecological beliefs, many disidentify as activists or environmentalists. Using data from 30 in-depth interviews and three years of ethnographic research with birders, I argue their disidentification comes from two interrelated sources. First, these birders followed the Audubon Society’s approach of strategic centrism, espousing a centrist identity and strategy of conservation. Second, these birders disidentified with the identity of “environmental activist” because of negative cultural stereotypes about environmental activists, which was bolstered by the Audubon Society’s strategic centrism. These mutually reinforcing phenomena create a situation that doubly discourages these birders from identifying as environmental activists. This paper contributes to sociological understandings of the interplay between culture, identity, and environmental activism.

The Mediating Role of Ecological Beliefs between Personal Values and Ecological Behaviour

The Mediating Role of Ecological Beliefs between Personal Values and Ecological Behaviour

Who cares about the environment?

ABSTRACTEnvironmental behavior substantially differs among individuals depending on their environmental attitudes, connectivity to nature beliefs, and socioeconomic profile. People who adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle and those who are unconcerned about environmental protection represent population segments with diverse characteristics. Consequently, this study aims to identify homogeneous groups based on individuals’ environmental behavior. A total of 400 Greek citizens completed a self-report questionnaire. We used behavioral items adopted from previous studies to measure environmental behavior and background variables to assess the socio-demographic profile of the respondents. Additionally, we used the well-established measures of Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) and New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEP) to measure people's relatedness with nature and their ecological beliefs separately. Multivariate Cluster Analysis results indicated that participants can be grouped into two broad segments, named moderate eco-friends and non-environmentalists. Individual differences between the clusters were detected with respect to gender, education, connectedness to nature and ecological worldview.

Antecedents and Consequences of Ecotourism Behavior: Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals, Ecological Belief, Willingness to Pay for Ecotourism Services and Satisfaction with Life

The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents related to why tourists engage in ecotourism and the consequences of ecotourism behavior. This study examined the concept of self-construal as a social aspect of self that influences different levels of ecological beliefs, which, in turn, affect ecotourism behavior. To address the unsatisfactory predictive power of the belief/attitude-behavior model, this study included the willingness to pay (WTP) for ecotourism between the ecological belief and ecotourism behavior relationships. Finally, this study examined the impact of ecotourism on tourists’ satisfaction with life as a result of ecotourism behavior. A structural equation model was constructed to test the proposed model. We found significant impacts of self-construals in explaining ecological beliefs. Significant relationships were found between ecological belief and WTP for ecotourism services which influenced ecotourism behavior, and between ecological belief and ecotourism behavior which affected satisfaction with life. The moderating effect of gender was only found on the path between WTP and ecotourism behavior. The findings of this study offer some implications for industry and policymakers to develop effective ecotourism programs.

Ecological knowledge and sustainable planning in Nigeria: a reflection on the Yorubas of South-Western Nigeria

In pre-colonial times, African people survived by acquiring and preserving community knowledge of the environment and the relationships between human and non-human elements. The paper is based primarily on secondary data, and examines the relationships between African people, especially Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria and the land and how understanding this relationship can help our quest for a more effective and sustainable regional planning. The study investigates the indigenous Yoruba Ecological Thoughts and Beliefs and how these affected the ways people have interacted with the environment. The result shows that there is a lot that modern planning can gain from the culture-environmental relationships of the indigenous people.Indigenous knowledge is the cornerstone of several convergent trends in social science thinking and development administration practice. With the failure of grand theories of development, social sciences focus on middle-range theories that are site – and time-specific (indigenous knowledge). Both traditional knowledge and modern science and technology should be complementary in the development process and should be properly integrated. People are the subject of development. Development is supposed to suit the people and not the people to suit development. If Africa does not learn this lesson now, all our efforts at the development will be in vain, because Africa is ultimately only as strong as its communities are.

Erratum to: Linking Corporate Policy and Supervisory Support with Environmental Citizenship Behaviors: The Role of Employee Environmental Beliefs and Commitment

This study investigates the social–psychological mechanisms leading individuals in organizations to engage in environmental citizenship behaviors, which entail keeping abreast of, and participating in, the environmental affairs of a company. Informed by the corporate greening and organizational behavior literature, we suggested that an employee’s level of involvement in the management of a company’s environmental impact was the overt manifestation of his or her discretionary sense of commitment to environmental concerns in the work context, and that such commitment developed through the interplay of individual, organizational, and supervisory factors. Our general findings support the idea that when environmental protection is valued and encouraged by the company and line managers, organization members are more likely to experience a volitional sense of attachment and responsibility to corporate environmental goals and values, which is enacted through citizenship behaviors. We also expected that individual ecological beliefs would strengthen the environmental commitment of employees via identification with, and adherence to, the socially responsible cause embodied by the organization and its managerial staff. But it did not. On the contrary, the data indicated that corporate environmental policy is more likely to influence an employee’s level of environmental commitment when he or she holds weak versus strong personal ecological beliefs. Theoretical and managerial implications of our findings are discussed.

Law and Ecological Conflicts: The Case of the Sacred Cow in India

The status of the cow in India has not only been the object of academic debates, but also of fierce and impassionate legislative and judicial battles. These disputes have notably crystalized over the admissibility of ritual sacrifice of cows by Muslim practitioners for the holiday of Bakr-Id, with the issue reaching the courts on several occasions. This paper explores the terms of this legal debate, and the solutions that have been progressively adopted by the legislative and judicial institutions after the independence. Particular attention will be paid to the processes involved in the apprehension of the religious justification of this practice by the judiciary. Eventually, the Indian legal system has failed at acknowledging the importance and the complexity of the Muslim minority’s ecological beliefs and traditions in this long-standing dispute.

The role played by age on children's pro-ecological behaviors: An exploratory analysis

Little is known about the developmental course of young children's acquisition of pro-environmental practices. This study takes a closer look at the relationship between age on 6–12 year-olds (N = 107) and pro-environmental behaviors (EB). Using a well-validated game format tool based on the Rasch model to collect the data, children's EB were registered, together with their ecological beliefs, Emotional Affinity toward Nature (EAN) and parental EB. The results of three structural equation models showed that age was statistically significant and negatively associated with children's EB. Children's ecological beliefs and EAN were positively related to EB, but these variables did not mediate the relationship between age and EB. Parental EB was negatively linked to children's EB. Exploratory analyses revealed that the relationship between ecological beliefs, EAN and EB seems to be stronger for older children.

Ecological Beliefs and Practices of the Public: A Primer for Environmental Protection

Belief systems have a considerable effect on environmental attitudes and can, therefore, play a major role in ecological conservation practices. The study was conducted to determine the ecological beliefs and practices of the public from Trento, Samal and Davao City, Philippines. Furthermore, it aimed to determine the relationship between protection and conservation of their land environment, which includes the flora and fauna. A total of 423 respondents from selected places were the participants. This study utilized the descriptive-correlational research method in order to document the beliefs and practices of the people. It described the Ecological traditional beliefs and practices of the people that could help protect and preserve the environment, particularly the flora and fauna. It made use of the questionnaire as the prime source of information supported by interviews and Focus Group Discussion. Data were analyzed using statistical tools like the mean score and Pearson product moment correlation. The results revealed that there was a significant relationship between the ecological belief and ecological practices of the public. However, no significant relationship was noted between the practices and the beliefs of the Public towards the flora because they also cut trees during a poor crop harvest, engaged in logging as an alternative source of income during rainy season. Moreover, towing cut logs from an environment where the buyer was waiting, and on the way they cared for the fauna and their land and environment. Hunting and fishing were limited and controlled by purpose. Thus, the ecological beliefs and practices should be disseminated to the young people not only verbally but also in writing for the benefit of the coming generation. Keywords - Social Science, practices, ecological beliefs, primer, public, environmental protection, descriptive design, Philippines

Antecedents to green buying behaviour: a study on consumers in an emerging economy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine influence of past environmental attitudes, social and personal environmental norms, social influence, and green self-identity on Indian consumers’ green buying behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through self-administered survey method by contacting respondents through mall intercept technique in six cities across India. Findings – The findings suggest that green self-identity, peer influence, and past green buying behaviour influence the decision to purchase green product. Consumers’ self-identification with environment-friendly traits was a major predictor to green buying behaviour. Research limitations/implications – Influence of social groups, personal norms, and self-identity were examined. However, the study did not focus on any specific brand or product category. Issues like green brands, price sensitivity, and trust can be examined. Practical implications – The findings can help firms in understanding Indian consumers’ predisposition and attitudes towards green products. Green products should be related to individual’s identity and ecological beliefs. Firms can modify their marketing communication strategies by linking green products them with social and personal factors. Originality/value – Influence of factors like past environmental attitudes, social and personal norms on green buying have not been examined in Indian context. The study adds to existing literature by applying self-construal theory in explaining green buying behaviour.

Water temperature and acidity regime shape dominance and beta-diversity patterns in the plant communities of springs

The processes underlying species’ dominance patterns and community composition are insufficiently investigated for springs, yet these systems, which are believed to be very stable environments, represent an important interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats contributing significantly to local and regional diversity. We studied the dominance patterns and plant community composition of 238 springs in Central Europe. According to the conventional ecological belief we hypothesized (1) a positive relationship between local abundance and regional distribution of spring plant species, as well as between species commonness and species’ realized breadth and (2) the occurrence of oligarchic species similar to other stable environments like tropical forests. Based on previous studies on this springs, we furthermore hypothesized (3) that water pH—essentially a proxy for nutrient availability—is the major driver of spatial compositional dissimilarity, i.e. beta-diversity. We tested these three hypotheses by using species commonness estimates, realized niche space and generalized dissimilarity modelling based on hydrochemistry. In line with conventional wisdom, we report a positive relationship between local abundance, species commonness and regional distribution for the majority of the species. In contradiction to other systems, we found both specialist and generalist species to be locally dominant and regionally widespread, thus common, while species with intermediate niche breadth showed the lowest commonness values. However, we detected three oligarchic species, exceeding all other species in local abundance and regional distribution, which did not follow these relationships. Both dominance relations (oligarchy) and community composition were mainly driven by water temperature and concentration of elements related to acidity regime (Al, Cd, Ca and Mg), although much of the variation in both remained unexplained. Thus, further research should focus on biotic interactions, which are likely to be important drivers of plant community composition in springs.

Taste in the Anthropocene: The Emergence of “Thing-power” in Food Gardens

Taste in the Anthropocene: The Emergence of “Thing-power” in Food Gardens

Ecological Belief in a Just World

To date, there is considerable evidence that the perception of injustice influences environmental behavior in a positive way. Nevertheless, some people do not take action, even if the injustice seems obvious. Concerning this matter, approaches like the belief in a just world theory or system justification theory provide an explanation. However, so far, there is no scientific research on whether the perception of ecological justice, which is taken for granted, concerning an ecological belief in a just world (EBJW) may lead to differences in people’s environmental behavior. This paper investigates a newly conceived construct of the EBJW, regarding its occurrence as well as its disposition in the context of other constructs. Therefore, a new scale has been developed for the purpose of this study by means of a questionnaire with German citizens (n = 312) examining motives for energy-relevant behavior. The scale analyses confirm the validity of the new scale. Even though the EBJW did not score high in the total sample, possibly due to significant differences between the participants (particularly socio-demographic variables and different group memberships) it can be stated that there is definitely a relationship between the EBJW and justification arguments and, ultimately, a lack of responsibility for energy saving. Regression analyses reveal that the EBJW, together with cognitive and affective appraisals of justice, can explain energy-relevant commitment, such as engagement in behavior that has negative impact on the climate. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the EBJW is measurable and that it seems to warrant further research.