Pro-environmental Norms, Green Lifestyles, and Subjective Well-Being: Panel Evidence from the UK

Martin Binder, Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg and Heinz Welsch

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2020, vol. 152, issue 3, No 9, 1029-1060

Abstract: Abstract Previous literature has found a significantly positive relationship between green lifestyles and subjective well-being. These well-being gains could either come from individuals’ conformity with a general social greenness norm or from adhering to a group-specific norm that enhances individuals’ sense of identity. We aim to provide a better understanding about those two channels. We construct measures of the regional prevalence and diversity of green self-image as indicators of the strength of a hypothetical green social norm. Using panel data from the UK, we find the positive relationship between individuals’ green self-image and life satisfaction to be unrelated to the prevalence of greenness attitudes, whereas the more polarized green/non-green attitudes are, the more well-being is gained from being green and the less well-being is lost from being non-green. This evidence is consistent with the idea that the relationship between a green lifestyle and subjective well-being relies (in addition to conformity with an internalized moral norm) on group identity more than on conformity with a society-wide green norm.

Keywords: Subjective well-being; Norms; Green behavior; Green self-image; Diversity; Fractionalization; Polarization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 Q51 Q58 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11205-020-02426-4

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