Stylianos Syropoulos, Ezra Markowitz, & Trisha Shrum
Perceived Responsibility, Legacy Motivation and Future Vividness Independently Relate to Increased Proenvironmental Behavior
Contact at: ssyropoulos@umass.edu
Past research has highlighted that perceived responsibility towards future generations, legacy motivation, and increased future self-continuity all motivate proenvironmental behavior and reduce intergenerational discounting. However, the degree to which each of these psychological mechanisms is independent of one another, as well as whether they each independently contribute to increased proenvironmental behavior remains unexplored. In a large correlational study (N = 1211) we evaluated whether each of these mechanisms, would independently relate to increased proenvironmental outcomes. Bivariate correlations suggested that perceived responsibility, legacy motivation and future self-continuity are independent constructs which all relate to elevated environmental concern and self-reported proenvironmental behavior. Results remained significant even after adjusting for key demographic covariates (e.g., political ideology). Legacy motivation specifically appeared to be uncorrelated with political preference and hope for the future. Each of these mechanisms could prove useful for interventions attempting to increase proenvironmental behaviors.
Click here to download:
