How should we measure flight shame and what are its main drivers?

Sara Laurent, Paul Chiambaretto and Camille Bildstein

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2026, vol. 204, issue C

Abstract: The air transport industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon emissions, driven by activist movements and widespread media coverage promoting the concept of “flight shame”—the idea that individuals should feel guilty about flying due to its significant environmental impact. Although the phenomenon has attracted considerable attention, its actual influence remains difficult to assess in the absence of a dedicated measurement scale capturing public sentiment toward aviation’s environmental footprint. This study addresses this gap by developing a flight shame scale, following Churchill’s paradigm, and validating it through two international samples (N = 595 and N = 574). The resulting scale identifies five items reflecting both environmental consciousness and social norms. Additionally, we investigate the determinants of flight shame using multiple linear regression analyses. Our results indicate that air passengers who report the highest levels of flight shame are those who, beyond the specific context of air travel, demonstrate strong environmental concerns and tend to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors in their daily lives. Furthermore, passengers who primarily travel for professional purposes, as well as those with lower levels of formal education, also appear to experience greater levels of flight shame.

Keywords: Flight shame; Flygskam; Air travel behavior; Environmental consciousness; Social norms; Measurement scale; Attitudinal and behavioral drivers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104802

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