Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

4-2022

Abstract

Despite extensive works examining the influence of personal values on environmental engagements, scarce research has examined the influence of group values that are perceived as important in the society. To address this lacuna and recent calls for more cross-cultural environmental research, we investigated whether and how culture, via collectivistic orientation, influences the roles of personal values and perceived group values, namely egoistic and biospheric values, in motivating environmental engagements in a Western (the U.S.; N = 469) and an Asian (Singapore; N = 410) country. To highlight a few findings, the study showed that personal values and perceived group values differentially predicted environmental engagements. Counter to our hypotheses, biospheric group values discouraged environmental volunteerism and were not related to other environmental engagement measures. Interestingly, culturally shaped collectivistic orientation attenuated biospheric group values' negative relationship and strengthened egoistic group values’ positive relationship with public behavioral intentions. Collectivistic orientation also strengthened the positive influence of personal egoistic values, but not personal biospheric values, on public behavioral intentions and policy support. We discuss how these findings advance knowledge regarding the ways in which personal and perceived group values, coupled with culturally motivated collectivistic orientation, would encourage pro-environmental actions.

Keywords

Biospheric values, Collectivistic orientation, Culture, Egoistic values, Environmental engagements, Perceived group values

Discipline

Asian Studies | Place and Environment | Social Psychology

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Volume

80

First Page

1

Last Page

18

ISSN

0272-4944

Identifier

10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101774

Publisher

Elsevier: 24 months

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101774

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