Personality predictors of consumerism and environmentalism: A preliminary study

Consumerism and Environmentalism are often viewed as mutually opposing constructs. While the former emphasizes the accumulation and consumption of material resources, the latter advocates resource conservation and long-term sustainability. Highly materialistic individuals are known to be selfish, possessive, and to place a greater value on the accumulation of material possessions. Conversely, environmentally concerned individuals are more often motivated by compassion, social concern, and a broader self-concept. In this study, we show that Consumerism and Environmentalism can both be predicted by the personality trait of Agreeableness. We assessed the personality, consumer goals, and environmental attitudes of undergraduate students at the University of Toronto. While Consumerism was negatively associated with Agreeableness, Environmentalism was positively associated with both Agreeableness and Openness. These findings are discussed in terms of the broader relationship between values and personality traits. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.