RESPONDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS - WHAT FACTORS GUIDE INDIVIDUAL ACTION

The utility of beliefs regarding the motivational role played by three classes of outcomes in predicting environmentally-concerned behavior was examined with survey data collected from two samples-undergraduate students and community residents. The three classes of outcome desires were those related to obtaining tangible rewards, those pertaining to social acceptance, and outcomes derived from acting in accordance with one's deeply held principles. General attitudes toward the natural environment and environmental protection, issue importance, level of perceived threat, and efficacy beliefs were also measured. Multiple regression analyses indicated that desires regarding principled and social outcomes explained a significant amount of variance in behavioral reports for the student sample, whereas desires related to tangible outcomes did so with the community sample. In support of a multivariate approach to the study of environmentally-concerned behavior, threat perception, issue importance, and efficacy constructs also accounted for a significant portion of variance in behavioral reports. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed. © 1993 Academic Press Ltd.