(Mis)matched direct and moderating relationships among pro-environmental attitudes, environmental efficacy, and pro-environmental behaviors across and within 11 countries

by Lindsay B. Miller, Ronald E. Rice

Pro-environmental behaviors are influenced by individuals’ pro-environmental attitudes and environmental efficacy, among many other factors. However, attitude-behavior models are inconsistent on whether and how attitudes, efficacy, and behaviors should match in specificity or generality, and on the moderation effect of efficacy. This study first tests a simple model including direct and moderating relationships between pro-environmental attitudes, environmental efficacy, and pro-environmental behaviors. Then it examines relationships among subscales matched or mismatched in their respective specific or general domain of environmental attitudes (concern, values), environmental efficacy (self, collective), and pro-environmental behaviors (private, public). Secondary data come from an overall sample of 11,000 respondents across 11 countries, with n = 1,000 from each country. Pro-environmental attitudes and efficacy have direct relationships with pro-environmental behavior, but efficacy has little moderation effect. Different combinations of (mis)matched measures produce slightly different results, with the most variance explained, counter to hypotheses, by two mismatched models. Results are generally consistent across countries.