Cultural Tightness Promotes Pro-Environmental Behavior in the Ecological Threat Background

Jie Leng, Xuegang Zheng, Xinyu Xu and Ping Hu ()
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Jie Leng: School of Social Development, Shandong Women’s University, Jinan 250300, China
Xuegang Zheng: Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Xinyu Xu: School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, Jinan 250100, China
Ping Hu: Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: Pro-environmental behavior (PEB) is crucial for addressing global ecological threats, yet cultural factors are often overlooked in research on its determinants. This research explored the impact of cultural tightness–looseness on PEB, focusing on the mediating roles of the ascription of responsibility and personal norms, and the moderating role of environmental threats. In Study 1, we conducted both a measurement (Study 1a) and a manipulation (Study 1b) of cultural tightness–looseness and found that tight cultures effectively promote PEB. In Study 2, we tested the moderated mediation model, which revealed that the ascription of responsibility and personal norms, along with their chain effects, mediated the impact of cultural tightness–looseness on PEB. Environmental threats positively moderated the direct effect, with tight cultures predicting more PEB only under high–threat conditions. This study suggests that cultural tightness may have evolutionary benefits for promoting PEB. Practically, it reveals that promoting a tighter culture, coupled with messaging about environmental threats, may be more effective in encouraging PEB.

Keywords: pro-environmental behavior; tight culture; environmental threat; ascription of responsibility; personal norm (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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