Environmental Beliefs Research Articles

From Niche to Noteworthy: A multi-country study on consumer views towards neglected and underutilized crops

Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) are crops that belong to niche agricultural systems, yet they possess desirable benefits both for human consumption and the environment. While the advantages of cultivating NUS seem attractive, there is still little interest among consumers to consume more food from NUS. Hence, the goal of this study was to ascertain the degree of familiarity and perceived benefits among consumers towards a selection of NUS, as well as factors that can potentially drive interest in these commodities. Through a consumer survey of 4802 individuals, this study revealed that consumers were already familiar to some NUS crops while there were other crops that were not as popular. This study also exhibited that consumers generally perceived baked products such as breads to be suitable carriers of NUS ingredients as opposed to packaged soups but geographic variation was observed, as presented by correspondence analysis in mapping country-preferred NUS applications. Furthermore, consumer appreciation of NUS stemmed from their perceived health and environmental benefits while some did not necessarily associate the economic benefits for farmers with NUS crops. Lastly, binary logistic regression showed that environmental beliefs (OR: 3.94) and health and taste attitudes (OR: 5.76) seemed to drive an individual’s curiosity to learn more of NUS, signalling potential consumer psychographics that can initially forward the expansion of NUS consumption.

In the clash between consumer green values and company green values, who will win? The role of greenwashing and involvement in environmental campaigns on social media

While studies have focused on exploring the implications of greenwashing, specifically its impact on customer behavior, scant research has considered the origins and precursors of perceived greenwashing, especially from the perspective of customers' environmental values. This study examined links between customers' environmental beliefs, awareness of sustainable development goals (SDGs), personal responsibility, and perceived greenwashing. The study also examined the moderating role of involvement in environmental campaigns on social media on the link between perceived greenwashing and company outcomes (i.e. perceived company green value and brand attachment). Data were gathered from customers of battery products in China. Path analyses and group analyses were conducted to test hypotheses. The main findings showed that customers’ green values enhanced perceptions of greenwashing, which further reduced perceived company green value and brand attachment. The negative link between perceived greenwashing and company outcomes was stronger among customers who reported involvement in environmental campaigns on social media.

Background of Environmental Awareness and Pro-Environmental Behavior Among Amazonian Farmers - Emphasis on the State of Rondônia

Objective: The study aims to identify levels of environmental knowledge, environmental beliefs, environmental awareness, and sustainable practices among Amazonian farmers, associating these factors with socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Theoretical Framework: Environmental awareness is the understanding of the importance of protecting the environment and promoting sustainability, influenced by backgrounds such as environmental knowledge and beliefs, and social and income factors, resulting in pro-environmental behaviors. Method: Interviews with 308 farmers from the central region of Rondônia assessed socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, environmental knowledge, environmental beliefs, environmental awareness, and sustainable agricultural practices. Quantitative analysis used t-tests and analysis of variance to identify significant differences between categories such as age, gender, property size, and education. Results and Discussion: Although it was expected that environmental components would be crucial for sustainable rural development, the variation between groups was small. Environmental awareness was positively associated with education and property size. Higher education expanded environmental understanding and the adoption of sustainable practices. Surprisingly, larger properties, despite focusing on profit maximization, showed greater environmental awareness. Female-led properties had lower adoption of sustainable practices, possibly due to reduced access to resources and support networks. Research Implications: Despite assumptions that environmental dimensions would be strongly associated with socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, little variation was observed, indicating increasing uniformity in environmental awareness among farmers. Originality/Value: Understanding the environmental awareness of farmers in the Amazon is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies. Direct research with these often-overlooked farmers can provide valuable insights for public policies and environmental education, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and forest preservation.

Mediating role of specific environmental beliefs in the relationship between general beliefs and water consumption

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of general environmental beliefs (GEB) on water consumption behaviour (WCB) and the mediating role of specific environmental beliefs (SEB) in Kuala Lumpur. By administering 1584 surveys via a 5‐point Likert scale questionnaire, the study analyses the influence of utilitarian beliefs (UB) and ecological beliefs (EB) at both the Kuala Lumpur and district levels. The results demonstrate that EB significantly mediates the relationship between GEB and WCB, while UB also plays a significant mediating role. The study highlights practical measures for environmental preservation, such as prioritizing utilitarianism for environmentally beneficial choices, afforestation, waste reduction, reusability and recycling of production materials and ensuring ecological system compatibility for waste disposal.

Driving change: Understanding consumers’ reasons influencing electric vehicle adoption from the lens of behavioural reasoning theory

The present study attempts to explore consumer-centric reasons affecting the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) are investigated using behavioural reasoning theory (BRT). Our study is among the first to examine consumer's EV adoption intention using BRT through the integration of the reasons “for and against” electric vehicle (EV) adoption. On data of 312 urban consumers, second order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed the existence of underlying reasons and SEM helped in testing the proposed relationships. This study also investigates the interaction effect of financial incentive policy with the consumer reasons on EV adoption. Findings revealed that “reasons for” adoption are environmental concern, perceived technology, and maintenance of knowledge and “reasons against” adoption are scepticism, price, and instrumental utility. Environmental beliefs and values influence the “reasons for” consumer intentions to approve electric vehicle adoption. Financial incentives policy was found significant in dampening the impact of reasons against adoption of electric vehicle. The study delineates the strategies for strengthening the promotion of electric vehicles.

Effects of Travel Agencies' Environment, Social, and Governance Marketing Activities on Consumer Behavioral Intentions

ABSTRACTEnvironment, social, and governance (ESG) marketing activities are becoming increasingly crucial for business growth. This study surveys 322 participants in the US to determine the effects of consumer beliefs and attitudes toward travel agencies' ESG activities on consumer behavioral intentions. The moderating effects of tourism innovativeness and tourists' enjoyment are explored. The results reveal that environmental beliefs have a positive influence on attitudes toward ESG. Conversely, social and governance beliefs exhibit a positive impact solely on attitudes toward ESG advertisements, within the context of attitudes toward ESG in general. A positive attitude toward ESG advertising and branding activities influences the intention to repurchase. This study confirms that a positive attitude toward ESG branding activities has a positive effect on word of mouth. Tourist innovativeness plays a moderating role in the relationship between attitudes toward ESG advertising and word of mouth (WOM).

“Here” Versus “There”: Authoritarian Populism, Environment, and Scapegoat Ecology Among Loggers of Northwestern Russia

This case study contributes to the research on the environmental beliefs of extractive industry workers in an illiberal populist regime. This research is based on semi-structured interviews with logging sector workers of the Russian Northwest—a severely understudied population directly involved in resource extraction. The data shows that these workers understand forestland as two separate localities: the northwestern region of Russia, in which the loggers have expertise and knowledge, and the rest of the country, in which workers don’t have any work or travel experience. This division facilitates a process of hybridization of populist environmental narratives on one hand, and loggers’ science-supported knowledge and experiences on the other. This hybridization of the workers’ beliefs is anchored in, and perpetuated by, Russia’s state-controlled media and its modern authoritarian populist regime. This research offers policy implications and encourages future studies on the politicization of the environment and resources in authoritarian populist states.

Exploring ecocentrism and anthropocentrism beliefs of Gen Z: An Indonesian context

This study delved into ecological awareness among Generation Z using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale to discern ecocentric and anthropocentric environmental beliefs. The data was collected from 545 students across state and private universities with categorization based on gender, age group, year level, study program and area of residence employing a quantitative research approach. A five-point Likert-type NEP scale comprising 15 items was administered through Google Forms ensuring representation from each study program. Statistical analysis conducted using SPSS for Windows 23.0 employed independent sample T-tests to evaluate differences in Gen Z's ecological awareness. The results revealed significant disparities in Gen Z's awareness across dimensions including reality, growth limits, anti-anthropocentrism, the fragility of nature's balance and the possibility of an eco-crisis with variations observed based on study programs. Furthermore, age groups influenced awareness of the limits of growth and the possibility of an eco-crisis while gender played a role in awareness of the problem of the limits of growth. Gen Z's ecological orientations depicted differences in ecocentric beliefs by year level and anthropocentric values varied based on area of residence. These findings offer valuable insights into students' alignment with ecological principles and environmental awareness. This research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable practices and environmental education by enhancing our understanding of how individuals particularly university students, perceive and respond to ecological and environmental challenges.

The impact of Gen Z's pro-environmental behavior on sustainable development goals through tree planting

This interdisciplinary study addresses a critical gap in environmental behavior research by focusing on Gen Z's engagement with tree planting, a key yet underexplored activity in the context of achieving sustainable development goals. Motivated by the need to understand how cultural practices and environmental policies influence young people's participation in sustainability efforts, this research examines how integrating psychological theories with sociocultural dynamics can enhance our understanding of proactive environmental engagement. Leveraging frameworks from psychology, sociology, environmental science, and cultural studies, this research integrates the Value-Belief-Norm theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior to analyze how Gen Z's values, environmental beliefs, and perceived behavioral control influence their intentions and actions toward tree planting. The methodology involves a two-phase empirical investigation: initially developing and validating measurement items with 141 Gen Z participants, followed by a second phase with 203 participants to validate the proposed model using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings highlight that the environmental value of Gen Z significantly shapes its attitudes and behavioral intentions toward tree planting. Additionally, this study reveals the crucial role of personal norms and perceived behavioral control in steering individuals’ pro-environmental behaviors. The Vishu Thaineetham initiative, which has a global footprint and has transformed a cultural tradition into a sustainable tree-planting movement, is a case study for innovative ecological preservation. This initiative demonstrates the potential of culturally adapted practices to foster collective environmental engagement and promote cleaner production strategies. The implications for theory and practice, emphasizing insights into environmental behavior models, are also provided.

Exploring influences of environmental information, beliefs and self-efficacy on nurses' climate health behaviours and their relationships.

To create a healthy nursing environment and protect human health in response to climate change, it is essential to encourage behaviour change among nurses. Although numerous studies have been conducted on nurses to address climate change, few studies have explored the relationships of factors that influence and promote nurses' climate health behavioural behavioural change, making it difficult to determine how nurses should act and prioritise regarding climate health behaviours. To investigate influential environmental factors on climate health behaviours among nurses through the causal relationships between environmental information, environmental beliefs and environmental self-efficacy using the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) model. A cross-sectional study. This study recruited 186 nurses working in hospitals nationwide in July 2023. Self-reported questionnaires (Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool; National Environmental Consciousness Survey; New Ecological Paradigm Scale; Personal Efficacy Scale) were used to collect the data. Path analysis was performed. The factors influencing nurses' climate health behaviours were environmental information, environmental beliefs and environmental self-efficacy. Environmental self-efficacy was found to be more influenced by the exogenous variables of environmental information than environmental beliefs and to be the most significant factor affecting climate health behaviours. It is more important for nurses to obtain environmental information than environmental beliefs to achieve the goal of climate health behaviours. This in turn, will lead to personal self-efficacy that nurses can mitigate the climate crisis. Their strong self-efficacy affects their climate health behaviours. Nurses should seek and draw on the appropriate environmental information related to climate health change and nurses with environmental self-efficacy become environmental nursing leaders, encouraging other health care workers to participate actively in climate health behaviours and continuously carry out the behaviours within daily life, hospital and community environments. The study addressed the lack of relationship research on factors influencing nurses' climate health behaviours, emphasizing the importance of accessing environmental information to foster self-efficacy. Nurses with heightened self-efficacy can lead healthcare professionals in climate health actions. This research has adhered to relevant EQUATOR and STROBE. No Patient or Public Contribution.

Exploring Mediators of Green Vehicle Fuel Purchase Intentions: The Roles of Environmental Belief, Concern, and Knowledge

Exploring Mediators of Green Vehicle Fuel Purchase Intentions: The Roles of Environmental Belief, Concern, and Knowledge

Exploring the role of digital green marketing campaigns and environmental beliefs in shaping tourist behavior and revisit intentions in eco-tourism

Tourist behavior can have detrimental effects on eco-destinations, such as littering or starting fires. Digital green marketing campaigns and tourist beliefs, however, can influence visitor behavior. Using quantitative analysis, this study examines the role of digital green marketing campaigns and the visitors' beliefs about the environment on tourist pro-environmental behavior and their desire to revisit eco-destinations. The study was conducted by distributing an online survey to 306 respondents who have visited five ecotourism destinations in Indonesia. The acquired data was examined using the PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling) approach. The study found that digital green marketing campaign and tourists' beliefs about the environment positively impact tourists' environmental behavior and their desire to revisit eco-destinations. The tourism ecosystem, however, does not strengthen the relationship between tourist pro-environmental behavior and the revisit intention to eco-destinations. This study will add to the literature by examining the relationship between digital green marketing campaigns, visitors' environmental beliefs, pro-environmental behavior, tourism ecosystems, and revisiting intention to eco-destinations. The study will also provide Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) with specific recommendations to promote their eco-destinations, encouraging responsible travel and returning visits.

Can machine learning predict environmental attitudes and beliefs?

ABSTRACT Beliefs and attitudes regarding climate change significantly influence public support for environmental policy regulations and willingness to engage in voluntary actions. This paper endeavours to forecast public perceptions concerning global warming, anthropogenic climate change, support for environmental tax policies, and the inclination to purchase energy-efficient home appliances. Leveraging data from the European Social Survey, we employ four machine learning techniques to anticipate individuals’ environmental beliefs and attitudes. Across various settings, our analysis achieves an accuracy of over 70% in identifying environmentally conscious respondents.

Determinants of local community participation in forest fire management in the northern Iran

Forest fire is one of the environmental events that occur under the influence of human and non-human (such as lightning, volcanoes, etc.) factors. In Iran, forest fires are a recurring problem. Human activities, such as negligence by local communities or travelers, play a major role in their occurrence. Intentional and unintentional fires pose the most significant threats, leading to the destruction of vast forest areas, especially in northern Iran, in recent years. In this regard, the participation of local communities in the management of such occurrences is essential. The purpose of this study was to analyze the determinants of local community participation in forest fire management (CPFFM) in Northern Iran, focusing on Nowshahr township. The research includes seven independent variables: quality of extension services (QES), awareness of rules and regulations (ARR), social norm (SN), place attachment (PA), environmental belief (EB), pro-environmentalist attitude (PEA) and social capital (SC) and their impact on CPFFM was measured. This research is a type of descriptive-correlational and causal-relational research that was conducted with a survey. The statistical population included local communities living on the edge of the forest in Nowshahr township (N = 78,786), of which 350 people were selected as a sample using stratified random sampling with proportional assignment. The research instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by subject experts and the reliability of its items was achieved with Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.711 ≤ α ≤ 0.921). The results of causal analysis indicated that QES (β = 0.522), SN (β = 0.156) and ARR (β = 0.305) have the highest direct effect on CPFFM, respectively. Also, EB had the greatest non-causal effect (0.083) on CPFFM. This research, by emphasizing the variables of human ecology from the point of view of environmental psychology in the conceptualization of some key variables affecting CPFFM, can be useful for decision makers and planners of forest fire management.

Environmentally sustainable fashion and conspicuous behavior

This study examines the impact of conspicuous consumption on environmentally sustainable fashion brands (ESFBs). Most previous studies have been limited to environmental perspectives; however, research on environmental behavior by conspicuousness has been lacking. This study views the brand as a tool for revealing oneself and examines the moderator brand–self-connection. It utilized a structural equation model with 237 valid questionnaires. Its findings are as follows: (1) Conspicuous consumption, fashion trend conspicuousness, and socially awakened conspicuousness positively affect the word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing of ESFBs. (2) Environmental belief is fully mediated by the environmental norm (EN) and does not directly affect WOM. (3) The more consumers are consistent with ESFBs, the stronger their WOM marketing. They are moderated only by the EN and socially awakened conspicuousness. (4) A higher fashion trend conspicuousness is associated with increased WOM marketing, indicating that such brands are frequently used as a method of self-expression. This study highlights consumers’ socially awakened conspicuousness and fashion trend conspicuousness in relation to ESFBs and discusses some implications.

SEGMENTING GREEN: EXPLORING MARKET SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING STRATEGIES IN SUSTAINABLE MARKETING

The integration of environmental factors into marketing strategies has become imperative for firms in several industries, highlighting the growing importance of sustainability. Market segmentation and targeting are crucial in sustainable marketing since they allow firms to discover and engage with consumer segments that have comparable sustainability views, attitudes, and behaviors. The study thoroughly examines the existing market segmentation tactics in sustainable marketing, including demographic, psychographic, behavioral, geographic, technographic, cultural, and contextual segmentation. The evaluation of targeting efficacy is examining how well it aligns with market categories, contributes to sustainable product adoption, engages and raises awareness among consumers, has a long-term impact, and aligns with organizational goals. Suggestions involve dividing consumers into groups based on their environmental beliefs, age disparities, geographic location, lifestyle choices, product perceptions, consumption habits, brand perceptions, buying intent, and eco-conscious activities. Although there may be difficulties in attaining successful segmentation, firms have the opportunity to utilize advanced strategies to encourage sustainable growth, societal influence, and environmental accountability. This study emphasizes the significance of market segmentation in sustainable marketing, offering valuable insights for firms navigating the ever-changing environment of sustainability.

Factors shaping the adoption of sustainable vegan diets

AbstractThe quality and choices of food contribute significantly to human well‐being and support the development of healthy communities worldwide. Despite being the world's largest vegetarian nation, India predominantly follows lacto‐vegetarianism, allowing dairy consumption and creating a distinct dietary landscape shaped by influences from religious, social, and cultural beliefs. This complexity, where dairy and cultural‐religious factors play pivotal roles, makes India a compelling and unique case for understanding the intricacies of adopting vegan dietary preferences. In the present study, an integrated model derived from the health belief model (HBM), the value attitude behavior (VAB) model, and social stigma was adopted as the theoretical framework. The study analyses the interactive effect of perceived benefits, barriers, environmental beliefs, health beliefs, and anti‐speciesism values, with the novel inclusion of social stigma as an independent variable affecting attitudes and intentions toward adopting a vegan diet. To achieve its objective, the study employed a quantitative methodology, recording consumers' responses through a structured questionnaire. The analysis encompassed 504 valid responses from Indian consumers from diverse backgrounds and varied locations. The result unveiled several noteworthy and unique trends. It was found that perceived benefits had a positive impact, while perceived barriers had a negative impact on the health beliefs associated with a vegan diet. Environmental beliefs, health beliefs, and anti‐speciesism values exhibited a positive influence on individuals' attitudes toward adopting a vegan diet. Conversely, social stigma had a negative impact on attitudes toward a vegan diet. Attitude emerged as a pivotal mediator, connecting the social stigma to the vegan diet adoption behavior. The findings of the study offer valuable insights for policymakers, manufacturers, and marketers seeking to encourage the adoption of vegan diets in countries with predominantly vegetarian populations. Additionally, the study puts forth actionable strategies, outlined as implications to promote the widespread adoption of the vegan diet.

A Flexible Inventory of Survey Items for Environmental Concepts Generated via Special Attention to Content Validity and Item Response Theory

We demonstrate how many important measures of belief about the environmental suffer from poor content validity and inadequate conceptual breadth (dimensionality). We used scholarship in environmental science and philosophy to propose a list of 13 environmental concepts that can be held as beliefs. After precisely articulating the concepts, we developed 85 trial survey items that emphasized content validity for each concept. The concepts’ breadth and the items’ content validity were aided by scrutiny from 17 knowledgeable critics. We administered the trial items to 449 residents of the United States and used item response theory to reduce the 85 trial items to smaller sets of items for use when survey brevity is required. The reduced sets offered good predictive ability for two environmental attitudes (R2 = 0.42 and 0.46) and indices of pro-environmental behavior (PEB, R2 = 0.23) and behavioral intention (R2 = 0.25). The predictive results were highly interpretable, owing to their robust content validity. For example, PEB was predicted by the degree to which one believes nature to be sacred, but not by the degree of one’s non-anthropocentrism. Concepts with the greatest overall predictive ability were Sacredness and Hope. Belief in non-anthropocentrism had little predictive ability for all four response variables—a claim that previously could not have been made given the widespread poverty of content validity for items representing non-anthropocentrism in existing instruments. The approach described here is especially amenable to incremental improvement, as other researchers propose more informative survey items and potentially important concepts of environmental beliefs we overlooked.

Unraveling Psychosocial Drivers of Environmentally-labeled Coffee

In Taiwan's niche coffee market, there is a clear demand for sustainability, yet there remains a gap in understanding certification preferences. This study addresses this gap by employing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to investigate the purchase intentions of 348 Taiwanese consumers towards environmentally-labeled coffee. Structural equation modeling reveals positive associations between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control individually, and purchase intention. Among the factors influencing attitude, sensory, upscale, and environmental beliefs significantly play significant roles, while health beliefs do not. Probit regression analysis confirms that purchase intention positively influences consumers' willingness to engage in coffee consumption. In additon, consumer characteristics including past experience, household size, knowledge, and age also impact coffee consumption willingness. These findings provide valuable insights for stakeholders seeking to promote sustainable consumption and guiding environmentally-conscious decisionmaking strategies.

Promoting Sustainable Consumption: The Roles of Consumers’ Domain-Specific Environmental Knowledge and Personality Traits

Environmental sustainability, a pivotal facet of sustainable development, is explicitly emphasized and advocated. The textile and apparel (T&A) industry, which is resource-intensive, faces challenges in transitioning toward an ecologically friendly market. The shift toward sustainability is causing significant changes in consumer lifestyles and cultural practices, resulting in increased uncertainty in pro-environmental behaviors. This study adapts the environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) model to investigate how consumers’ subjective and objective domain-specific environmental knowledge (SUEK and OBEK) and personality traits—including personal environmental responsibility (PER), eco-centric and anthropocentric environmental beliefs (EEBs and AEBs), and internal and external environmental loci of control (IN-ELOC and EX-ELOC)—influence sustainable consumption intention (SCI) for T&A products. The data from 212 completed online survey questionnaires were analyzed using a two-stage partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The findings reveal that participants’ SUEK related to the T&A industry, and their PER and EEBs positively influence their SCI for T&A products. This research contributes to the literature on consumer SCI in the T&A industry and adds value to the existing ERB model, providing insights for brands, retailers, educators, policymakers, and stakeholders striving for a more sustainable industry.