Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students

Identifying the determinants of human behavior is useful to adjust interventions and lead the civil society toward a stronger commitment to climate change (CC) mitigation and adaptation objectives, achieving greater support for successfully implementing environmental policies. Existing research has...

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Main Authors: Díaz, Manuel Francisco, Charry, Andrés, Sellitti, Stefania, Ruzzante, Matteo, Enciso, Karen, Burkart, Stefan
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Frontiers Media 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110978
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author Díaz, Manuel Francisco
Charry, Andrés
Sellitti, Stefania
Ruzzante, Matteo
Enciso, Karen
Burkart, Stefan
author_browse Burkart, Stefan
Charry, Andrés
Díaz, Manuel Francisco
Enciso, Karen
Ruzzante, Matteo
Sellitti, Stefania
author_facet Díaz, Manuel Francisco
Charry, Andrés
Sellitti, Stefania
Ruzzante, Matteo
Enciso, Karen
Burkart, Stefan
author_sort Díaz, Manuel Francisco
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Identifying the determinants of human behavior is useful to adjust interventions and lead the civil society toward a stronger commitment to climate change (CC) mitigation and adaptation objectives, achieving greater support for successfully implementing environmental policies. Existing research has largely focused on case studies of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in developed economies but there is very little evidence for developing countries. This study provides estimations of the effect of internal factors, such as sociodemographic variables, and four psychological dimensions (CC knowledge, environmental attitudes, self-efficacy, and trust in sources of environmental information) on PEBs. Data were obtained through a survey applied with future decision makers – university students – from Colombia (n = 4,769) and Nicaragua (n = 2,354). Indices were generated for PEBs and the psychological dimensions using z-scores and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Partial correlations were evaluated through the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method. Our results suggest that, in order to reach the planned emission reduction targets, policy approaches should more strongly focus on educating and motivating citizens and prepare them for contributing to the environmental cause, as well as provide individual solutions to combat CC, rather than providing only information on its causes and consequences.
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spelling CGSpace1109782025-12-08T10:29:22Z Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students Díaz, Manuel Francisco Charry, Andrés Sellitti, Stefania Ruzzante, Matteo Enciso, Karen Burkart, Stefan sustainability awareness raising education policies behaviour climate change students sociocultural environment sostenibilidad educación cambio climático Identifying the determinants of human behavior is useful to adjust interventions and lead the civil society toward a stronger commitment to climate change (CC) mitigation and adaptation objectives, achieving greater support for successfully implementing environmental policies. Existing research has largely focused on case studies of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in developed economies but there is very little evidence for developing countries. This study provides estimations of the effect of internal factors, such as sociodemographic variables, and four psychological dimensions (CC knowledge, environmental attitudes, self-efficacy, and trust in sources of environmental information) on PEBs. Data were obtained through a survey applied with future decision makers – university students – from Colombia (n = 4,769) and Nicaragua (n = 2,354). Indices were generated for PEBs and the psychological dimensions using z-scores and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Partial correlations were evaluated through the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method. Our results suggest that, in order to reach the planned emission reduction targets, policy approaches should more strongly focus on educating and motivating citizens and prepare them for contributing to the environmental cause, as well as provide individual solutions to combat CC, rather than providing only information on its causes and consequences. 2020-12 2021-01-25T16:29:21Z 2021-01-25T16:29:21Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110978 en Open Access application/pdf Frontiers Media Díaz, M.F.; Charry, A.; Sellitti, S.; Ruzzante, M.; Enciso, K.; Burkart, S. (2020) Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students. Frontiers in Psychology, 11: 580730. ISSN: 1664-1078
spellingShingle sustainability
awareness raising
education
policies
behaviour
climate change
students
sociocultural environment
sostenibilidad
educación
cambio climático
Díaz, Manuel Francisco
Charry, Andrés
Sellitti, Stefania
Ruzzante, Matteo
Enciso, Karen
Burkart, Stefan
Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students
title Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students
title_full Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students
title_fullStr Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students
title_full_unstemmed Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students
title_short Psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in developing countries: Evidence From Colombian and Nicaraguan students
title_sort psychological factors influencing pro environmental behavior in developing countries evidence from colombian and nicaraguan students
topic sustainability
awareness raising
education
policies
behaviour
climate change
students
sociocultural environment
sostenibilidad
educación
cambio climático
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110978
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