The most difficult thing in the world: a sociocultural perspective on putting pro-environmental thoughts into action

Abstract

Although there is now a broad consensus that climate change is happening and a risk to society as we know it, these beliefs have not been commensurate with behaviors that are needed to address the climate crisis. This review discusses why this dissociation exists, focusing on sociocultural differences in the strength of the link between environmental beliefs and environmental action. Certain social contexts (i.e. collectivistic, lower socioeconomic status, and religious) foster a stronger sense of personal control compared to their counterparts, and this explains variation in the link between climate change beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors. In sociocultural contexts where a sense of personal control is lower, alternative motives, such as social norms and trust in government, play more central roles in shaping pro-environmental support. A novel sociocultural perspective is provided to understand why increased climate change beliefs do not necessarily increase support for pro-environmental actions.