Spillover from general and specific pro-environmental behavior to climate-friendly choices and policy Acceptance: The mediating role of psychological engagement

Research on pro-environmental transformations of the consumption pattern has investigated the dynamics of “behavioral spillover” in the form of either a specific pro-environmental behavior triggering another or as the gradual emergence of an increasingly pro-environmental pattern of behavior reflecting increasing environmental commitment. In this article, we draw on consumer engagement research to combine and compare these two approaches, also contributing to the scant research on consumer engagement in climate change and related issues. Specifically, we study impacts of consumers’ use of public transport, cycling, and general pro-environmental behavior on their willingness to adopt new, more climate-friendly transport and travel options and accept new climate-friendly transport policy, including possible mediation through psychological environmental engagement and pro-environmental self-identity. Residents of Denmark (N_wave1 = 537, N_wave2 = 413) and China (N = 1020) were surveyed, and structural equation modelling was used to analyze the data. The study reveals that general pro-environmental behavior increases the willingness to adopt new climate-friendly transport and travel options and acceptance of climate policy regulating transport, partly mediated through psychological environmental engagement, in both Denmark and China. There are only small and scattered impacts of the use of public transport and cycling on psychological environmental engagement or the willingness to adopt or accept. These findings suggest that companies and policymakers should focus more on promoting and facilitating general pro-environmental behavior than on identifying specific behaviors that can be used as “wedges” to promote the adoption and acceptance of new and emerging climate-friendly products, services, and policy.