scholarly journals New ecological paradigm meets behavioral economics: On the relationship between environmental values and economic preferences

Author(s):  
Andreas Ziegler
Author(s):  
Kean Boon Chua ◽  
Farzana Quoquab ◽  
Jihad Mohammad ◽  
Rohaida Basiruddin

Purpose Environmental awareness became a crucial agenda for both academicians and practitioners. Effect of the individual’s value, belief and norm on their environmentally significant behaviour is vital on subsequent purchase decision of the consumers. Considering this, the present study aims to examine the relationships among value orientations, New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), and pro-environmental personal norm. Moreover, this research intends to investigate the mediating role of New Ecological Paradigm between value orientations and pro-environmental personal norm. Design/methodology/approach This study has utilized questionnaire survey among 277 paddy farmers at the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) area in Malaysia. Data was analyzed using Partial Least Squares technique in order to test study hypotheses. Partial Least Square technique was utilized to analyze the data to test the study hypotheses. Findings Results reveal that biospheric value, altruistic value and egoistic value positively and significantly affect NEP. It is also found that NEP positively and significantly affect pro-environmental personal norm. Data also supports the links between altruistic value and pro-environmental personal norm (PPN). However, the relationship between other two value-orientations (biospheric value and egoistic value) and PPN is not supported by the data. Additionally, NEP mediates the relationship between biospheric value and PPN as well as between egoistic value and PPN. Contrary to this, NEP does not mediate the relationship between altruistic value and PPN. Practical implications The findings of this study will guide the agrochemical industry to understand how to enhance consumers’ behavioural aspect towards the environmental welfare. As handling of agrochemical is hazardous to health and environment, the knowledge on the effect of value orientation, belief and norm holds the key to inculcate good agricultural practice. Originality/value The present study is among the pioneers to consider NEP as the mediator between three types of value orientation and personal norm. Additionally, this study examined the relationship between NEP and PPN as well as between value orientations and PPN which are comparatively new to the existing body of literature. Nevertheless, this study considers NEP as a multidimensional constructs which is relatively new. Last, but not the least, the findings elaborate the existing knowledge of individual’s environmental concern in the context of agrochemical purchase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7728
Author(s):  
Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski ◽  
Åsa Helen Grahn ◽  
Håvard Hansen ◽  
Heidi Skeiseid

Acquiring a better understanding of what drives pro-environmental and sustainable behaviour is important for both researchers and practitioners alike. The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating role of locus of control and self-construal on the relationship between pro-environmental beliefs and pro-environmental consumer behaviour. We explicitly model the endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) as a predictor of three specific types of environmental behaviour—travel, purchasing and day to day activities. The results show a positive and significant association between the endorsement of NEP and a person’s pro-environmental traveling behaviour, purchasing behaviour and day to day activities. Moreover, we find that the effects are moderated by a person’s locus of control, specifically, it remains positive and significant only for people with an internal locus of control. However, we found no moderating effect of a person’s self-construal on the association between NEP and pro-environmental behaviour. The findings are important in the continuing work to understand what is limiting consumers to behave according to their beliefs. Practical and theoretical implications of the results as well as suggestions for future research are presented.


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Corraliza ◽  
Silvia Collado ◽  
Lisbeth Bethelmy

AbstractThe New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale has been extensively used to measure adults’ environmental attitudes. However, it has only recently been adapted for use with children. This paper presents a Spanish version of the NEP Scale for Children, examines children’s ecological beliefs according to socio-demographic variables as well as the relationship between children’s ecological beliefs and pro-environmental behavior. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted, followed by confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, the instrument’s internal consistency was studied and links between environmental attitudes, age, and ecological behavior in children were examined through correlation analyses. The results show that children’s ecological worldviews can be described by a dimension called “overall ecocentrism”. Analysis of variance demonstrated that children from rural areas exhibit a more ecocentric worldview than those from urban areas. The results also denote gender differences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantinos Manoli ◽  
Bruce Johnson ◽  
Sanlyn Buxner ◽  
Franz Bogner

Our study examined the two-dimensional nature of the Two Major Environmental Values model (2-MEV) in comparison with the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale’s unidimensional construct. The latter places respondents on a continuum from a bio-centric to anthropocentric worldview, where an individual can either have a pro-environmental (bio-centric) or an anti-environmental (anthropocentric) perspective, but not both. On the other hand, the 2-MEV treats biocentrism (Preservation, PRE) and anthropocentrism (Utilization, UTL) as two separate and not necessarily related components. The model allows us to place individuals into one of four quadrants, rather than on either end of a continuum, allowing an individual to have a bio-centric and an anthropocentric worldview at the same time. Students’ environmental perceptions were measured using the NEP and 2-MEV questionnaires. As predicted, high preservation/low utilization scorers preferred a biocentric worldview on the NEP; similarly, low preservation/high utilization scorers preferred an anthropocentric worldview on the NEP. However, the NEP failed to differentiate between the high preservation/high utilization and low preservation/low utilizations scorers. Both of these groups of students, while on different quadrants on the 2-MEV, cluster together in the middle of the unidimensional NEP. Evidence suggests that the NEP may not fully explore all dimensions of environmental perceptions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Robinson

Behavioral economics and happiness research have many important implications for the conduct of benefit-cost analysis as well as for policy design and implementation. By identifying ways in which we may act irrationally and providing new perspectives on the relationship between our circumstances and our sense of well-being, this research raises numerous questions regarding the evaluation of individual and societal welfare and the desirability of alternative policies. In this special issue, we present a series of articles that explore these concerns and provide significant new insights.


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