TY - JOUR
T1 - Positive and negative spillover of pro-environmental behavior
T2 - An integrative review and theoretical framework
AU - Truelove, Heather Barnes
AU - Carrico, Amanda R.
AU - Weber, Elke U.
AU - Raimi, Kaitlin Toner
AU - Vandenbergh, Michael P.
N1 - Funding Information:
Support for this project was provided by grants from NSF ( SES-1325660 ) and NSF RCN ( DBI-049179401 ). We would like to thank Michael Gerrard for helpful comments on this manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2014/11/1
Y1 - 2014/11/1
N2 - A recent surge of research has investigated the potential of pro-environmental behavior interventions to affect other pro-environmental behaviors not initially targeted by the intervention. The evidence evaluating these spillover effects has been mixed, with some studies finding evidence for positive spillover (i.e., one pro-environmental behavior increases the likelihood of performing additional pro-environmental behaviors) and others finding negative spillover (i.e., one pro-environmental behavior decreases the likelihood of additional pro-environmental behaviors). Different academic disciplines have investigated this question, employing different methodologies and arriving at divergent findings. This paper provides a unifying theoretical framework and uses the framework to review the existing research on pro-environmental behavior spillover. Our framework identifies different decision modes as competing mechanisms that drive adoption of initial pro-environmental behaviors, with different consequences for subsequent pro-environmental behaviors, leading to positive, negative, or no spillover. Attribution of the initial pro-environmental behavior to either an external motivator (e.g., a price signal) or internal motivator (e.g., self-identity) also matters. In addition, the characteristics of and similarity between initial and subsequent pro-environmental behaviors can be expected to moderate predicted spillover effects. We explore the implications of our model for policymakers and practitioners, and suggest key areas where future research on the topic would be most beneficial.
AB - A recent surge of research has investigated the potential of pro-environmental behavior interventions to affect other pro-environmental behaviors not initially targeted by the intervention. The evidence evaluating these spillover effects has been mixed, with some studies finding evidence for positive spillover (i.e., one pro-environmental behavior increases the likelihood of performing additional pro-environmental behaviors) and others finding negative spillover (i.e., one pro-environmental behavior decreases the likelihood of additional pro-environmental behaviors). Different academic disciplines have investigated this question, employing different methodologies and arriving at divergent findings. This paper provides a unifying theoretical framework and uses the framework to review the existing research on pro-environmental behavior spillover. Our framework identifies different decision modes as competing mechanisms that drive adoption of initial pro-environmental behaviors, with different consequences for subsequent pro-environmental behaviors, leading to positive, negative, or no spillover. Attribution of the initial pro-environmental behavior to either an external motivator (e.g., a price signal) or internal motivator (e.g., self-identity) also matters. In addition, the characteristics of and similarity between initial and subsequent pro-environmental behaviors can be expected to moderate predicted spillover effects. We explore the implications of our model for policymakers and practitioners, and suggest key areas where future research on the topic would be most beneficial.
KW - Behavioral spillover
KW - Decision modes
KW - Environmental identity
KW - Moral licensing
KW - Pro-environmental behavior
KW - Rebound effects
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U2 - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.09.004
DO - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.09.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84911940137
SN - 0959-3780
VL - 29
SP - 127
EP - 138
JO - Global Environmental Change
JF - Global Environmental Change
ER -