IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i8p4622-d792469.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relative Role of Knowledge and Empathy in Predicting Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Marina Ienna

    (School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Amelia Rofe

    (School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Monica Gendi

    (School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Heather E. Douglas

    (School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Michelle Kelly

    (School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Matthew W. Hayward

    (Conservation Biology Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Alex Callen

    (Conservation Biology Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Kaya Klop-Toker

    (Conservation Biology Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Robert J. Scanlon

    (Conservation Biology Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
    de Witt Ecology, de Witt Consulting, Charlestown, NSW 2290, Australia)

  • Lachlan G. Howell

    (Conservation Biology Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

  • Andrea S. Griffin

    (Conservation Biology Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia)

Abstract

Planet Earth is undergoing unprecedented levels of environmental degradation and destruction at a global scale. Incentivizing people to adopt behaviors that are compatible with a sustainable future will help address the current ecological crisis. However, it is first necessary to understand the psychological drivers of pro-environmental behavior. Here, we examined whether greater levels of environmental knowledge and empathy predicted higher levels of pro-environmental behavior in an Australian population sample. We aimed to advance our understanding of the psychological variables that motivate people to act in pro-environmental ways, while also advancing the ongoing debate amongst conservation scientists regarding the relative importance of fostering empathy. Correlational analyses revealed that objective, verifiable knowledge was a strong predictor of pro-environmental attitudes and behavior. Empathy also correlated positively with pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, but with a dissociation with respect to its cognitive and affective components. Multivariate analyses revealed that knowledge was a stronger predictor of both pro-environmental attitudes and behavior after controlling for individual variation in cognitive and affective empathy. This finding casts doubt on the claim by compassionate conservationists that fostering empathy is the key to solving the current environmental conservation crisis. Future research should aim to extend the present findings by testing whether a more exhaustive test of participants’ environmental knowledge and other measures of empathy, including empathic competencies and the recently developed Emotional and Cognitive Scale of the Human–Nature Relationship (ECS-HNR), yield the same dominance of knowledge over empathy.

Suggested Citation

  • Marina Ienna & Amelia Rofe & Monica Gendi & Heather E. Douglas & Michelle Kelly & Matthew W. Hayward & Alex Callen & Kaya Klop-Toker & Robert J. Scanlon & Lachlan G. Howell & Andrea S. Griffin, 2022. "The Relative Role of Knowledge and Empathy in Predicting Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4622-:d:792469
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4622/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4622/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Piyapong Janmaimool & Samattaphong Khajohnmanee, 2019. "Roles of Environmental System Knowledge in Promoting University Students’ Environmental Attitudes and Pro-Environmental Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Jason J. Sharples & Geoffrey J. Cary & Paul Fox-Hughes & Scott Mooney & Jason P. Evans & Michael-Shawn Fletcher & Mike Fromm & Pauline F. Grierson & Rick McRae & Patrick Baker, 2016. "Natural hazards in Australia: extreme bushfire," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 85-99, November.
    3. Min-Seong Kim & Jinwon Kim & Brijesh Thapa, 2018. "Influence of Environmental Knowledge on Affect, Nature Affiliation and Pro-Environmental Behaviors among Tourists," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, August.
    4. Andreia Queirós & Eugénia Fernandes & Renate Reniers & Adriana Sampaio & Joana Coutinho & Ana Seara-Cardoso, 2018. "Psychometric properties of the questionnaire of cognitive and affective empathy in a Portuguese sample," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-14, June.
    5. Qiudi Zhao & Xianwei Liu & Yonghong Ma & Xiaoqi Zheng & Miaomiao Yu & Dongjiao Wu, 2020. "Application of the Modified College Impact Model to Understand Chinese Engineering Undergraduates’ Sustainability Consciousness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Fetherstonhaugh, David & Slovic, Paul & Johnson, Stephen & Friedrich, James, 1997. "Insensitivity to the Value of Human Life: A Study of Psychophysical Numbing," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 283-300, May-June.
    7. Jari Kukkonen & Sirpa Kärkkäinen & Tuula Keinonen, 2018. "Examining the Relationships between Factors Influencing Environmental Behaviour among University Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    8. Kim-Pong Tam, 2019. "Anthropomorphism of Nature, Environmental Guilt, and Pro-Environmental Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-19, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lorenz Probst, 2022. "Higher Education for Sustainability: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence 2013–2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-24, March.
    2. Vicente Morales-Baños & Francisco José Borrego-Balsalobre & Arturo Díaz-Suárez & José María López-Gullón, 2023. "Levels of Sustainability Awareness in Spanish University Students of Nautical Activities as Future Managers of Sports and Active Tourism Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Piyapong Janmaimool & Samattaphong Khajohnmanee, 2019. "Roles of Environmental System Knowledge in Promoting University Students’ Environmental Attitudes and Pro-Environmental Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Abida Begum & Liu Jingwei & Imran Ullah Khan Marwat & Salim Khan & Heesup Han & Antonio Ariza-Montes, 2021. "Evaluating the Impact of Environmental Education on Ecologically Friendly Behavior of University Students in Pakistan: The Roles of Environmental Responsibility and Islamic Values," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-17, September.
    5. Lucius Caviola & Nadira Faulmüller & Jim. A. C. Everett & Julian Savulescu & Guy Kahane, 2014. "The evaluability bias in charitable giving: Saving administration costs or saving lives?," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 9(4), pages 303-315, July.
    6. Daniel Västfjäll & Paul Slovic & Marcus Mayorga & Ellen Peters, 2014. "Compassion Fade: Affect and Charity Are Greatest for a Single Child in Need," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-10, June.
    7. Malgorzata Karpinska-Krakowiak & Lukasz Skowron & Lachezar Ivanov, 2020. "“I Will Start Saving Natural Resources, Only When You Show Me the Planet as a Person in Danger”: The Effects of Message Framing and Anthropomorphism on Pro-Environmental Behaviors that are Viewed as E," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-14, July.
    8. An-Jin Shie & You-Yu Dai & Ming-Xing Shen & Li Tian & Ming Yang & Wen-Wei Luo & Yenchun Jim Wu & Zhao-Hui Su, 2022. "Diamond Model of Green Commitment and Low-Carbon Travel Motivation, Constraint, and Intention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-21, July.
    9. Chen Ying & Härdle Wolfgang K. & He Qiang & Majer Piotr, 2018. "Risk related brain regions detection and individual risk classification with 3D image FPCA," Statistics & Risk Modeling, De Gruyter, vol. 35(3-4), pages 89-110, July.
    10. Sonia Akter & R. Quentin Grafton, 2021. "Do fires discriminate? Socio-economic disadvantage, wildfire hazard exposure and the Australian 2019–20 ‘Black Summer’ fires," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 1-21, April.
    11. repec:cup:judgdm:v:11:y:2016:i:5:p:441-448 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Sudeep Bhatia & Lukasz Walasek & Paul Slovic & Howard Kunreuther, 2021. "The More Who Die, the Less We Care: Evidence from Natural Language Analysis of Online News Articles and Social Media Posts," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(1), pages 179-203, January.
    13. Kirill Gavrilov, 2013. "Risk, psychophysical numbing and value of individual and community lives: an empirical study," HSE Working papers WP BRP 09/PSY/2013, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    14. Emmanuel Kemel & Corina Paraschiv, 2018. "Deciding about human lives: an experimental measure of risk attitudes under prospect theory," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 51(1), pages 163-192, June.
    15. Ehsan Taheri & Chen Wang, 2018. "Eliciting Public Risk Preferences in Emergency Situations," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 223-241, December.
    16. Paul Slovic & Melissa L. Finucane & Ellen Peters & Donald G. MacGregor, 2004. "Risk as Analysis and Risk as Feelings: Some Thoughts about Affect, Reason, Risk, and Rationality," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 311-322, April.
    17. repec:cup:judgdm:v:3:y:2008:i:8:p:595-606 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Wakker, Peter P. & Zank, Horst, 2002. "A simple preference foundation of cumulative prospect theory with power utility," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(7), pages 1253-1271, July.
    19. repec:cup:judgdm:v:8:y:2013:i:4:p:397-406 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Dmitry A. Ruban & Natalia N. Yashalova & Vladimir A. Ermolaev, 2021. "Is Environment a Strategic Priority of the Leading Energy Companies? Evidence from Mission Statements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    21. Rapson Gomez & Taylor Brown & Shaun Watson & Vasileios Stavropoulos, 2022. "Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling of the factor structure of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-18, February.
    22. Bodo Aretz & Sebastian Kube, 2013. "Choosing Your Object of Benevolence: A Field Experiment on Donation Options," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 115(1), pages 62-73, January.
    23. Nur Sabrina Mohamed Ali Khan & Mageswary Karpudewan & Nagaletchimee Annamalai, 2020. "Moving Beyond the One-Size-Fits-All Model in Describing the Climate Conserving Behaviors of Malaysian Secondary Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4622-:d:792469. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.