Antecedents of energy behavior

Overview Method Reliability scales Values Goal frames Social representations Institutional factors Urban/ rural

Method Response rate Response rate in urban area bit higher Same introduction for experimental and control group (HU: student helped) Time range: February - May HUCZDENLSCO %5810+/

Reliability scales (NL) Values: Altruistic (0,766) Egoistic (0,718) Biospheric (0,867) Hedonic (0,832)

Reliability scales Social representations: Perception of causes (0,831) Social efficacy (0,550) Outcome efficacy (0,749) Perception of climate change (0,775).

Low reliability Social efficacy: NL α = 0,550; CZ α = 0,004; HU α = 0,297; DE α = 0,414; SCO α = 0,442 2 items: –Climate change will be effectively tackled if Europe reduces CO2 emissions drastically –Climate change is an unstoppable process; humans cannot do anything about it Hungary: outcome efficacy α = 0,298

Values General antecedents of behavior: guiding principles in your life –Altruistic –Egoistic –Biospheric –Hedonic

Values People with strong altruistic and biospheric values: –Eat less meat –Shower less –No significant effect for driving style (p = 0,09)

Social representations More specific; focus on climate change –Perception of climate change –Perception of causes –Outcome efficacy –Social efficacy –Consequences of climate change

Values – social representations Social representations Altruistic values Egoistic values Biospheric values + - +

Social representations - behavior Perception of climate change weak but negative relationship with: –Meat consumption –Showering Only in the Netherlands and Germany no relations in Czech Republic and Hungary (Scotland?)

Goal frames Goals influence what people attend to; which knowledge and attitudes become accessible 3 goals: –Hedonic –Gain –Normative Goal strength depends on the situation and on the behavior

Goal frames - behavior The Netherlands: 21% of the variance explained Meat consumption Normative goal (greenhouse gas emissions) Hedonic goal (taste) β = -0,17 β = 0,29 Health β = -0,15

Goal frames - behavior Czech Republic: Meat consumption Normative goal (greenhouse gas emissions) Hedonic goal (taste) β = 0,14 β = 0,33 14% of the variance explained

Goal frames - behavior Germany: Showering Normative goal (greenhouse gas emissions) Hedonic goal (enjoyable) β = -0,09 β = 0,11 3% of the variance explained

Goal frames - behavior The Netherlands: Showering Normative goal (greenhouse gas emissions) Hedonic goal (enjoyable) β = -0,12 β = 0,17 11% of the variance explained Personal care β = 0,16

Institutional factors Effort of institutions Importance of actors Policy preferences

Institutional factors - behavior People who find environmental NGOs important for energy consumption eat less meat and shower less (in Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands, not in Czech Republic) Positive relationship between altruistic/ biospheric values and preference for a carbon label

Institutional factors Effort: Altruistic and biospheric values  environmental NGOs ( r = 0,14) Egoistic and hedonic values  energy producers ( r = 0,15)

Institutional factors Preference for strategies is in line with cultural theory/ myths of nature (Schwartz & Thompson, 1990) –Individualistic people think environmental problems should be solved via the free market –Egalitarian people believe problems can be controlled by radical behavioral changes

Urban / rural People in rural areas use less energy

Urban / rural Czech Republic: drive more frugal than urban dwellers Hungary: –eat less meat when they grew up in a rural area. –shower less in rural area The Netherlands: shower less Germany: eat more meat

Data analyses and publications Relationship between values, goal frames and behavior Leading party: University of Groningen How do lifestyles influence social representations, beliefs and behavior? Leading party: PIK Social representations Leading party: MLURI, PIK, Czech Republic, Hungary

Data analyses and publications Institutional factors and behavior Leading party: Hungary Urban/ rural and behavior Leading party: Czech team

Leading partyOther parties Values, goal frames RuG Lifestyles, soc repr, beliefs PIK Social representations MLURI, PIK, Czech team, Hungary ? Institutional factors IPS-HAS Urban/ ruralCzech team