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How Green Self Image is Related to Subjective Well-Being: Pro-Environmental Values as a Social Norm

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  • Welsch, Heinz
  • Kühling, Jan

Abstract

Recent literature has found that individuals holding a greener self-image display higher levels of life satisfaction. We extend the single-country setting of that research to a transnational perspective and explore whether a relationship exists between green self-image (GSI) and life satisfaction (LS), both European-wide and at the national level. In order to explain differences in the GSI-LS relationship across nations and time, we study the role of pro-environmental values as a shared social norm. We find a significantly positive GSI-LS relationship in a pool of 35 European countries and in the majority of individual countries. In addition, we show that the well-being benefit of holding a green self-image is greater in societies that display more unanimity with respect to pro-environmental attitudes. Invoking the notion of social norms as shared agreements about what is appropriate and inappropriate, we take the latter finding to indicate that part of the well-being benefit from holding pro-environmental values derives from conformity to a social norm.

Suggested Citation

  • Welsch, Heinz & Kühling, Jan, 2018. "How Green Self Image is Related to Subjective Well-Being: Pro-Environmental Values as a Social Norm," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 105-119.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:149:y:2018:i:c:p:105-119
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.03.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Binder, Martin & Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin & Guardiola, Jorge, 2020. "Does it have to be a sacrifice? Different notions of the good life, pro-environmental behavior and their heterogeneous impact on well-being," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    2. Shengqin Zheng & Ke Xu & Qing He & Shaoze Fang & Lin Zhang, 2018. "Investigating the Sustainability Performance of PPP-Type Infrastructure Projects: A Case of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    3. Thilo K.G. Haverkamp & Heinz Welsch & Andreas Ziegler, 2022. "The Relationship between Pro-environmental Behavior, Economic Preferences, and Life Satisfaction: Empirical Evidence from Germany," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202204, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    4. Martin Binder & Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg & Heinz Welsch, 2020. "Pro-environmental Norms, Green Lifestyles, and Subjective Well-Being: Panel Evidence from the UK," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 1029-1060, December.
    5. Ali Saleh Alshebami, 2021. "Evaluating the relevance of green banking practices on Saudi Banks’ green image: The mediating effect of employees’ green behaviour," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 275-286, December.
    6. Chiara Franco & Claudia Ghisetti, 2022. "What shapes the “value-action” gap? The role of time perception reconsidered," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(3), pages 1023-1053, October.
    7. Katharina Voltmer & Maria von Salisch, 2023. "Promoting Subjective Well-Being and a Sustainable Lifestyle in Children and Youth by Strengthening Their Personal Psychological Resources," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Amel Attour & Marco Baudino & Jackie Krafft & Nathalie Lazaric, 2020. "Determinants of smart energy tracking application use at the city level: Evidence from France," Post-Print hal-02942483, HAL.
    9. Martin Binder & Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg & Heinz Welsch, 2019. "Pro-environmental norms and subjective well-being: panel evidence from the UK," Working Papers V-417-19, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2019.
    10. Lasarov, Wassili & Mai, Robert & Hoffmann, Stefan, 2022. "The backfire effect of sustainable social cues. New evidence on social moral licensing," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    11. Andy Felix Jităreanu & Mioara Mihăilă & Ciprian-Ionel Alecu & Alexandru-Dragoș Robu & Gabriela Ignat & Carmen Luiza Costuleanu, 2022. "The Relationship between Environmental Factors, Satisfaction with Life, and Ecological Education: An Impact Analysis from a Sustainability Pillars Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.
    12. Marja Hult & Minna Kaarakainen & Deborah De Moortel, 2023. "Values, Health and Well-Being of Young Europeans Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-22, March.
    13. Ary José A. Souza-Jr., 2021. "Climate change and behavior: Do environmental attitudes and perceptions impact on subjective well-being in Europe?," Working Papers REM 2021/0207, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    14. Herziger, Atar & Claborn, Kelly A. & Brooks, Jeremy S., 2020. "Is There Hope for the Double Dividend? How Social Context Can Shape Synergies and Tradeoffs between Sustainable Consumption and Well-Being," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    15. Attour, Amel & Baudino, Marco & Krafft, Jackie & Lazaric, Nathalie, 2020. "Determinants of energy tracking application use at the city level: Evidence from France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    16. Ary Júnior, 2022. "Does income inequality change the relationship between environmental attitudes and subjective well-being? Evidence for 27 European countries," Working Papers REM 2022/0229, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    17. Salvador del Saz Salazar & Luis Pérez y Pérez, 2021. "Exploring the Differential Effect of Life Satisfaction on Low and High-Cost Pro-Environmental Behaviors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-17, December.
    18. Binder, Martin & Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin & Welsch, Heinz, 2019. "Peer influences and proenvironmental behavior: Panel evidence for the role of regional prevalence and diversity," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 367, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    19. Grace Ibe-enwo & Nicholas Igbudu & Zanete Garanti & Temitope Popoola, 2019. "Assessing the Relevance of Green Banking Practice on Bank Loyalty: The Mediating Effect of Green Image and Bank Trust," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-16, August.
    20. Dukangqi Li & Weitao Shen, 2022. "Regional Happiness and Corporate Green Innovation: A Financing Constraints Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-25, February.
    21. Heinz Welsch & Philipp Bierman & Jan Kühling, 2021. "Immigration Attitudes and Subjective Well-Being: A Matter of Identity?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1563-1581, April.
    22. Cruz-Jesus, Frederico & Figueira-Alves, Hugo & Tam, Carlos & Pinto, Diego Costa & Oliveira, Tiago & Venkatesh, Viswanath, 2023. "Pragmatic and idealistic reasons: What drives electric vehicle drivers' satisfaction and continuance intention?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    23. Welsch, Heinz & Binder, Martin & Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin, 2021. "Green behavior, green self-image, and subjective well-being: Separating affective and cognitive relationships," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Green self-image; Subjective well-being; Life satisfaction; Social norm; Social division;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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