A Behavioural Measure of Environmental Decision-Making for Social Surveys

• In Event: 254 - Section on Environment and Technology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 16. Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract

There is great benefit in using measures of environmentally significant behaviour—rather than just behavioural intentions or self-reported behaviour—if we are to advance our understanding of the individual and structural factors that influence environmental decision-making. Along these lines, to supplement the use of behavioural intention and self-reported behaviour measures in environmental decision-making research, we identify and validate a simple measure of one form of environmentally significant behaviour: financial support for environmental movement organizations. Using the Values-Beliefs-Norms theoretical framework, we conducted an experiment to examine the performance of this measure of actual behaviour. This behavioural measure meets multiple dimensions of validity—including face, concurrent criterion-related, and construct—as a measure of environmentally significant behaviour in environmental decision-making research. As would be expected, we find that actual donations are smaller than hypothetical donations; hypothetical donations overestimate what would actually be donated by approximately 27%. Also, while environmental beliefs better predict hypothetical donation and willingness to act, key values measures (i.e., biospheric altruism and self-interestedness) better predict actual donation. We suggest that scholars consider using actual behavioural measures such as the one we test here in future scholarship on environmental decision-making.

Authors

• John Clements, Central Michigan University

• Aaron M. McCright, Michigan State University

• Thomas M. Dietz, Michigan State University

• Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt, Michigan State University