Understanding Proenvironmental Behavior: A Model Based on Moral Identity and Connection to Nature

Abstract

Research has widely recognized the role of personal norms, connection to nature, and different forms of identity as important factors that promote individuals' environmental actions, as well as the role of moral disengagement to diminish these. However, less attention has been given to one's moral identity as a key driver for proenvironmental behavior. Extending current literature, we therefore explored if moral identity could promote proenvironmental behavior. Participants in our study (N = 359) completed a series of questionnaires. Correlational analyses, path analysis, mediation analysis, and moderation analysis, where relevant, were used in testing four possible models. Only the model in which moral identity and connection to nature predicted proenvironmental behavior directly, and indirectly through the effect of personal norms and moral disengagement, showed good fit indices. Our findings highlight the multifaceted nature of proenvironmental engagement, in which a sense of moral obligation to act sustainably could facilitate behavior stemming from moral identity and the feeling of being connected to nature.