How climate-friendly behavior relates to moral identity and identity-protective cognition: Evidence from the European social surveys

Heinz Welsch

Ecological Economics, 2021, vol. 185, issue C

Abstract: The paper studies the role for climate-friendly behavior of individuals' moral identity, conceptualized in terms of the moral foundations identified by moral psychologists (Care, Fairness, Liberty, Loyalty, Authority, and Sanctity). Two relationships are distinguished: a direct relationship between moral identity and behavior at given cognitions of climate change impacts and effectiveness of individual action, and an indirect relationship through an association between moral identity and these cognitions. Using data from the European Social Surveys, the paper finds that endorsement of the individual-focused (universalist) moral foundations (Care, Fairness, Liberty) and endorsement of the group-focused (parochial) moral foundations (Loyalty, Authority, Sanctity) are both related to climate friendly behavior through the direct channel, the former 1.5 times stronger than the latter. In addition, individual-focused moral foundations are related to climate-friendly behavior through their association with the cognition of bad impacts of climate change and of effectiveness of own action. The indirect relationships amount to up to one third of the direct relationships. While being of a correlational nature, the findings are consistent with the idea that individuals' moral identity may influence climate-friendly behavior both directly and indirectly, by shaping behavior-relevant cognitions.

Keywords: Climate-friendly behavior; Moral identity; Climate change cognition; Moral Foundations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 H41 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Working Paper: How Climate-Friendly Behavior Relates to Moral Identity and Identity-Protective Cognition: Evidence from the European Social Surveys (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:185:y:2021:i:c:s0921800921000847

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107026

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