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What Makes an Environmental Steward? An Individual Differences Approach

Author

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  • Ryan Plummer
  • Julia Baird
  • Gillian Dale

Abstract

Engaging in environmental stewardship is critical for sustainability. Understanding individual differences and engagement is an important gap in present scholarship and addressing it is necessary to understand individual factors that relate to the types of activities engaged in, motivations and barriers to environmental stewardship. We surveyed 637 Canadian and American adults via Amazon Mechanical Turk, querying a range of demographic, psychological and environmental perceptions factors as well as motivations and barriers to stewardship activities. Respondents were ultimately grouped into Non-Stewards, Home-Oriented Stewards and Community-Oriented Stewards. Few differences were found among these groups. However, Home-Oriented Stewards and Community-Oriented Stewards exhibited very different initial and ongoing motivations to engage in environmental stewardship. Accordingly, we identify stewardship motivations as a potential leverage point and as one of several promising avenues for future research related to enhancing engagement in environmental stewardship for the sustainability of the planet.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan Plummer & Julia Baird & Gillian Dale, 2022. "What Makes an Environmental Steward? An Individual Differences Approach," Environmental Values, , vol. 31(3), pages 295-322, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envval:v:31:y:2022:i:3:p:295-322
    DOI: 10.3197/096327121X16141642287773
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bieling,Claudia & Plieninger,Tobias (ed.), 2017. "The Science and Practice of Landscape Stewardship," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107142268, November.
    2. Hang Lu & Jonathon Schuldt, 2015. "Exploring the role of incidental emotions in support for climate change policy," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 131(4), pages 719-726, August.
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