Ecological Attitudes and Action-Impact Perception, but not Action-Impact Knowledge, Predict Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Le résumé fourni par la source

Accurate knowledge of the most impactful behaviors to mitigate climate change is essential for citizens to reduce their carbon emissions effectively. Yet, evidence relating action-impact knowledge with the frequency of pro-environment behaviors is limited and mixed. Additionally, some studies found little evidence of accurate action-impact knowledge among citizens, leading researchers to evaluate action impact perceptions - how much individuals believe actions are impactful - as a behavioral predictor. The current study examined the role of action-impact knowledge vs. perception in the engagement in pro-environmental behaviors across domains relevant to climate-change mitigation, namely, driving, flying, food choices, and saving energy and water. In a sample of Portuguese participants (n = 386), we observed that action-impact knowledge varies: individuals often overestimated the potential of some low-impact behaviors (e.g., reducing littering) while underestimating some high-impact behaviors such as reducing meat consumption, and more accurately estimated others, like driving and flying. Our analysis showed that an overall higher action-impact perception, together with positive ecological attitudes, were more strongly associated with mitigation behaviors than objective action-impact knowledge per se. We conclude that efforts to promote behavioral change should focus on fostering positive ecological attitudes and communicating the mitigation potential of high-impact behaviors.

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