The Opportunity Cost of Pro-Environmental Activities: Spending Time to Promote the Environment

Shigeru Matsumoto

Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 2014, vol. 35, issue 1, 119-130

Abstract: This study examines how working hours and the opportunity cost of time affect an individual’s decision to participate in a time-consuming pro-environmental activity—namely, the purchase of refillable products—while using data from the Japanese General Social Survey 2002 . By purchasing refillable products, an individual can reduce the amount of waste that needs to be disposed; however, she or he must spend time refilling bottles (i.e., a pro-environmental activity). Our empirical results demonstrate that individuals who work long hours and those with high wage rates tend to purchase nonrefillable products. Therefore, both time constraints and the opportunity cost of time are important factors in the decision to undertake pro-environmental activities. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Keywords: Japanese General Social Survey; Opportunity cost of time; Pro-environmental activities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1007/s10834-013-9354-3

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