Having the environment in the heart and mind. Value endorsement and pro-environmental action in developing countries

HANSEN NINA; STEG LINDA; JAKOVCEVIC ADRIANA; RIOS RIVERA LAURA

Congreso; 28TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY; 2014

Scholars have argued that people living in developing countries are more concerned about their own living and material resources and less about natural commons. Thus, they should not care about the environment. In contrast, we argue that the environment is in the heart and mind of people living in developing countries because they are dependent on it. This presentation provides first evidence for the significance of biospheric values on pro-environmental action in developing countries. Study 1 and 2 were conducted in two developing countries in Africa, namely in Kenya (N=79) and Ethiopia (N=114), one of the least developed countries. Across both studies, we found clear evidence that biospheric values (1) were endorsed in developing countries, (2) predicted pro-environmental action, and (3) influenced action via a process of norm activation. Study 3 was conducted in Mexico (N=90) and aimed at systematically investigating regional differences in cultural value endorsement. The results showed that people living in rural less developed areas more strongly endorsed biospheric compared to people living in urban more developed areas. The extent to which people dependent on nature in their daily living (dependency on nature) explained within-cultural differences in biospheric values and actions. In sum, these results suggest that modernization processes decrease the extent to which people have the environment in their heart and mind in developing countries. Theoretical and practical implications of how to motivate people living in developing countries to act pro-environmentally friendly are discussed.