Pro-environmental behavior: The role of values, norms, and nature relatedness

Environment-friendly behavior can offer multiple benefits in the reduction of environmental challenges and problems faced today. The present study tested several factors (i.e., values, norms, and nature relatedness) that can contribute to a better understanding of individual pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Using a convenience sample of 714 participants we tested several models to assess the effect of values (biospheric, altruistic, hedonic and egoistic) on environmental behavior, mediated by nature relatedness. Moreover, in the current research, we tested the moderating role of norms (social pro-environmental descriptive and injunctive norms and personal pro-environmental injunctive norms) in the relationship between values, nature relatedness, and pro-environmental behaviors, to assess whether personal and social norms can act as potent enhancers of environmental behaviors. The results indicate that biospheric and altruistic values contribute to nature relatedness and through it, to higher levels of pro-environmental behaviors, while self?enhancement values (i.e., hedonic, and egoistic) were not directly linked to pro-environmental behavior but were indirectly associated with it through nature relatedness. The moderated mediation analysis highlighted that the most consistent moderator was the personal pro-environmental injunctive norm. We discuss practical implications related to environmental policy-making targeting social norms depending on individual values.