Does the future imagination treatment affect people’s pro-environmental intention and donation decisions?

This study investigates the impact of a future imagination treatment on individuals’ pro-environmental intentions and donation behaviors, utilizing the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework. A total of 442 students from National Chengchi University participated in the research, which involved an experimental group that envisioned living conditions in the year 2100 and a control group. Employing seemingly unrelated regressions and a three-stage least squares model, we analyzed the donation decisions in the context of a dictator game (Camerer in Behavioral Game Theory: Experiments in Strategic Interaction, Princeton University Press, 2011). The results revealed that the imaginary-trip-to-the-future treatment did not significantly impact pro-environmental donations. However, individuals’ intentions to mitigate climate change were positively correlated with their decisions to contribute to climate change initiatives. Additionally, key factors such as attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and futurability were found to significantly influence these intentions, highlighting the intergenerational sustainability dilemma. These findings enhance our understanding of the complexities surrounding pro-environmental behavior and suggest potential avenues for future research aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.