Exploring the drivers of pro-environmental behavioral intentions in an emerging nation

Kajenthiran Konalingam, Tharmartnam Thivaakaran, Navaneethakrishnan Kengatharan, Achchuthan Sivapalan, Grace Hyacinth Hensman and Archchutha Harishangar

Social Responsibility Journal, 2024, vol. 20, issue 9, 1697-1723

Abstract: Purpose - Drawing on the theory of planned behavior and value-belief norms theory, this study aims to explore the causes of pro-environmental behavioral intentions in the context of Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach - Data were garnered from 503 subjects with the aid of self-reported questionnaires. The formulated hypotheses were examined using a variance-based statistical approach (PLS-SEM). Findings - The findings of the study revealed that personal values, particularly altruistic and biosphere values, significantly strengthen the psychological drivers of pro-environmental behavioral intentions. The study further found that religiosity enhances the association between personal norms and pro-environmental behavioral intentions and the place attachment augments the relationship between attitude and pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Practical implications - This study suggests that instilling altruistic and biosphere values in individuals can boost pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Campaigns and educational programs could focus on instilling these values to foster responsibility and empathy. Recognizing the influence of religiosity on pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes, this study suggests collaborative efforts between organizations and religious institutions. Religious leaders can integrate environmental stewardship into teachings, emphasizing ethical responsibilities. Originality/value - The study pushes back the frontiers of environmental consciousness literature by highlighting the importance of personal values, psychological factors and contextual variables such as religiosity and place attachment in fostering pro-environmental behavior within the specific context of an emerging country – Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Personal values; Psychological variables; Pro-environmental behavioral intentions; Theory of planned behavior; Value belief norm theory; Emerging countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (text/html)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:srjpps:srj-09-2023-0517

DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-09-2023-0517

Access Statistics for this article

Social Responsibility Journal is currently edited by Prof David Crowther

More articles in Social Responsibility Journal from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Emerald Support ().