The Role of Curtailment Versus Efficiency on Spillovers Among Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Evidence from Two Towns in Granada, Spain

Marta Suárez-Varela and Ariel Dinar
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Marta Suárez-Varela: Department of Economic Structure and Development Economics, Autonomous University of Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Ariel Dinar: School of Public Policy, University of California, Riverside, California, CA 92597, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: In this paper we explore the existence of behavioral consistency between individuals’ pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors in related domains (cross-domain), distinguishing between the following two types of behaviors that the literature has identified as entailing different levels of sacrifice on the part of the individual: curtailment, i.e., implying the adoption of daily habits, and efficiency behaviors, i.e., installation of efficient devices. Using a dataset on bottled water demand from two cities in southern Spain, we find evidence of behavioral consistency between the undertaking of certain pro-environmental habits related to household water consumption and the decision to consume (or not) bottled water. These effects are found only when curtailment behaviors are considered, but not in relation to efficiency behaviors. Moreover, our results suggest that policies fostering pro-environmental habits could prove more successful than the ones promoting pro-environmental attitudes or awareness. These results have important implications for the design of environmental campaigns and rebate programs.

Keywords: pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors; behavioral consistency; behavioral spillovers; averting behavior; zero responses; double-hurdle; bottled water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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