Individuals’ Social Identity and Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Cross-Cultural Evidence from 48 Regions

Junxian Shen and Hongfeng Zhang ()
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Junxian Shen: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao 999078, China
Hongfeng Zhang: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao 999078, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: Individual pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are essential for addressing critical global environmental challenges. Drawing on the social identity approach, this study examines how different types of social identity (including world, national, regional, and city identities) influence individuals’ engagement in PEBs. Using data from the seventh wave of the World Values Survey (2017–2022), which includes responses from 60,577 participants across 48 regions, a hierarchical linear model was used to analyze these relationships. The results show that world identity has a stronger effect than city, national, or regional identity on green orientation and subsequently on PEBs, emphasizing environmental sustainability as a global priority. Moreover, previous cross-cultural research has focused on individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Our study introduces a novel perspective to the existing literature by examining the moderating effect of long-term versus short-term societal orientations. The findings indicate that long-term cultural orientations strengthen the influence of green orientation on PEBs. This study provides actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to develop culturally sensitive strategies to promote sustainable behaviors.

Keywords: individual pro-environmental behaviors; green orientation; social identity; world identity; long-term and short-term orientation; cross-cultural analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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