Psychological Predictors of Energy Saving Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Approach

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Giuseppe Carrus¹  Lorenza Tiberio¹  Stefano Mastandrea¹  Parissa Chokrai²  Immo Fritsche²  Christian A. Klöckner³  Torsten Masson²  Stepan Vesely³  Angelo Panno⁴ 

[1] Department of Education, Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Roma Tre University;Department of Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Leipzig;Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology;Department of Human Science, European University of Rome

关键词: meta-analysis;    energy saving behaviors;    attitudes;    intentions;    values;    awareness;    emotions;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648221

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Understanding how psychological processes drive human energy choices is an urgent, and yet relatively under-investigated, need for contemporary society. A knowledge gap still persists on the links between psychological factors identified in earlier studies and people's behaviors in the energy domain. This research applies a meta-analytical procedure to assess the strength of the associations between five different classes of individual variables (i.e.,: attitudes, intentions, values, awareness, and emotions) and energy-saving behavioral intentions and behaviors (self-reported and actual). Based on a systematic review of studies published between 2007 and 2017, we estimate the average effect size of predictor-criterion relations, and we assess relevant moderators and publication bias, drawing on data obtained from 102 independent samples reported in 67 published studies ( N = 59.948). Results from a series of five single meta-analyses reveal a pattern of significant positive associations between the selected psychological determinants and energy-saving indicators: associations between individual-level predictors and energy-saving outcomes are positive and moderate in size, ranging from large effects for emotions to small-moderate effects for pro-environmental values. Interestingly, moderation analysis reveals, among other things, that attitude-behavior links are not statistically significant when actual behavior is considered as an outcome. Implications for policy interventions are discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY