Relational values of nature—a global empirical study of environmental students in 37 countries

For decades, the question of why people want to protect nature was mostly answered from an instrumental or intrinsic perspective. However, in recent years, a new category of values has received attention: relational values (RVs). Relational values refer to meaningful relationships that people form with nature and with each other through nature, including ethical responsibilities, cultural significance, and identity. They go beyond the dichotomy of intrinsic and instrumental values by highlighting the role of care, stewardship, and responsibility in shaping human–nature relationships. Currently, there is a lack of quantitative empirical studies on the concept of RVs, especially in the international context. This study, therefore, surveyed 4571 environmental students in 37 countries to gain an overview of their RVs. A cluster analysis revealed that there are six overarching global evaluation patterns of RVs, so-called response types, that occur worldwide. The six response types show different characteristics and variations in the agreement of different elements of the RVs. These response types ranged from strong agreement with all relational value items (type 1), to selective endorsement (types 3–6), to broad rejection of RVs (type 2). The correlation of these response types with country-specific wealth indicators showed that the RVs are less pronounced in wealthy countries. This study is the first to carry out a large international comparison of RVs.