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Social identity and environmental concern: the importance of contextual effects

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 12:04 authored by Steven BriegerSteven Brieger
This study draws on social identity theory to explain differences in individual support for environmental protection, a conative component of environmental concern. It argues that an individual’s identification with higher social units—community, nation, and world—strengthens its in-group solidarity and empathy and, in consequence, its readiness to protect the environment benefitting the in-group’s welfare. The study hypothesizes that country-level manifestations of social identity (1) lift individuals’ support for environmental protection above the level that their own social identity suggests (elevator effect), and (2) reinforce the effect of individuals’ social identity on their support for environmental protection (amplifier effect). Using a sample of over 30,000 individuals located in 38 countries around the world, the study finds strong evidence for the two contextual effects. The findings indicate that social identity plays an important role not just as an individual attribute but also as a central component of culture in fostering environmental concern.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Environment and Behavior

ISSN

0013-9165

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Department affiliated with

  • Strategy and Marketing Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2018-02-13

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2018-02-13

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2018-02-13

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