Sacrificing for the environment: The role of nonzero-sum beliefs

We argue that social beliefs about how individuals find solutions for conflicts (e.g., nonzero-sum beliefs), how the social system is constituted (e.g., social dominance orientation, belief in a just world), and whether they can trust others (e.g., social trust) influence the willingness to sacrifice for the environment. We derived our hypotheses from the ego- / ecosystem theory and focused particularly on nonzero-sum beliefs as a central belief routed in an ecosystem perspective. We tested our hypotheses in a cross-sectional (Study 1) and a longitudinal study (Study 2). In Study 1 ( N = 257), we found that nonzero-sum beliefs predicted the willingness to sacrifice for the environment beyond social trust, belief in a just world, and social dominance orientation. In Study 2 ( N = 345), we found that nonzero-sum beliefs predicted willingness to sacrifice for the environment over six weeks and that positive outcome expectancies partially mediated this relationship. In a cross-lagged panel model, nonzero-sum beliefs (t1) significantly predicted an increase in willingness to sacrifice for the environment (t2), while willingness to sacrifice (t1) did not predict a change in nonzero-sum beliefs (t2). Our results indicate that aspects of the ecosystem, particularly beliefs about conflictual social interactions, are pivotal in predicting willingness to sacrifice for the environment. • Eco/ego-system theory is promising for the study of environmental behavior. • Nonzero-sum beliefs predict willingness to sacrifice for the environment. • Outcome expectancies mediate the relationship between beliefs and sacrifice. • Two studies provide cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence. • Effect of beliefs on sacrifice in a cross-lagged panel model.