Just a drop in the ocean? How lay beliefs about the world influence efficacy, perceptions, and intentions regarding pro-environmental behavior

Abstract

Climate change is a large-scale problem that might leave people paralyzed by feeling too small to make a difference. Indeed, low response efficacy has been shown to be related to low pro-environmental behavior. There have been some attempts to increase people's efficacy. However, these have often been less successful than hoped. In the present research, we suggest that response efficacy is informed by people's more fundamental understanding of how the world functions (i.e., their lay beliefs about the world): whether they think the world is changeable or fixed. In three online experiments (on samples from Austria and the USA) we manipulated participants' lay beliefs about the world and measured their response efficacy and different indicators of intentions and perceptions related to pro-environmental behavior (such as climate change belief, perceiving norms as changing and feelings of working together in pro-environmental behavior). People who were led to adopt the belief that the world is changeable (i.e., an incremental belief) reported higher response efficacy regarding climate change. There was also some indication that they had stronger pro-environmental intentions, felt more like working together with others when engaging in pro-environmental behavior, and perceived norms around pro-environmental behavior as more dynamic. These results indicate that people's global understanding of the world plays a role in how they view and tackle large-scale social problems such as climate change. Supporting an incremental belief might foster an agentic approach to such problems and promote social change.