Exploring Salient Attributes and Status Perception of Proenvironmental Behavior

This thesis includes two studies that examine perceptions of proenvironmental behaviors and whether members of different social groups differ in their perceptions. The first study explores which attributes of behaviors are perceived to be salient. Proenvironmental behaviors encompass a broad range of behaviors with distinctive characteristics. However, relatively little work has been done to sort environmental behaviors into classes that are psychological meaningful to individuals. This is important because behavioral spillover is more likely when behaviors are conceptually linked. To explore this, we used a sample of 71 participants, containing 30 environmental participants and 41 business participants. We used a repertory grid technique to explore the attributes of behaviors that are most salient to members of distinct social groups by having respondents consider the similarities and differences among a set of behaviors. The results of this first study suggest that individuals are more likely to co-perform behaviors with similar non-social external and descriptive attributes (e.g. outcomes, salient place/domain, etc.) than behaviors involving similar internal decision-making processes and social influences for engagement in that behavior (e.g. deliberation, social norms, etc.). The two participant groups differed little in their perceptions regarding the salience of different behavioral attributes. These findings can be used to inform behaviorally oriented policies and interventions on how to create classifications of behaviors that are ii meaningful to the public and that capitalize on potential spillover effects from one behavior to the next. The second study explores how proenvironmental behaviors related to social status. Perceived status can affect the diffusion of proenvironmental behaviors and sustainable consumption. However, the status of different forms of sustainable consumption has not been adequately explored. Previous studies suggest that curtailment behaviors are associated with low or neutral status while green consumption is associated with high status. However, these studies have generally examined a small number of behaviors and have rarely considered whether perceptions differ between social groups. We use mixed methods and the same sample of respondents to explore whether and why a suite of proenvironmental behaviors is perceived to be high or low status, the perceived motivation for those behaviors, and whether perceptions depend on the environmental orientation of research participants. Using a variety of quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches, we find that green consumption (i.e. efficiency) is rated higher in status than curtailment and that this rating is largely based on monetary considerations. Green consumption is also perceived to be more motivated by environmental concern than curtailment and interpretations of the motivation for adopting behaviors contributes to status perceptions of those behaviors. The two participant groups differed little in their perceptions. Our results suggest that those who argue that curtailment will be necessary for long-term sustainability must address status perceptions because it is likely that they hinder the diffusion of such behaviors. For now, it may be more effective to use social and/or economic mechanisms to increase green consumption. Overall, this thesis offers valuables insights that can inform behavior change strategies and interventions aimed at