Beyond Message Framing: Comparing the Role of Environmental Values in Conservation Behavior Across the U.S. and India

This study examined how environmental attitudes, message framing, and cultural context shape conservation judgments in national parks and protected areas (NPPAs). Participants from the U.S. (N = 181) and India (N = 157) reported their environmental attitudes using the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale and responded to scenarios depicting unsustainable behaviors (trampling vegetation, feeding wildlife, and littering) framed in either gain or loss terms. Regression analyses showed that stronger pro-environmental attitudes consistently predicted greater disapproval of unsustainable actions and higher willingness to donate. Indian respondents generally expressed stronger pro-conservation judgments, and the NEP × Country interaction was significant for trampling, indicating cultural moderation of attitude effects. Message framing had minimal impact, reaching significance only for littering and showing no moderation by country. NPPA pass ownership positively influenced all outcomes, while age predicted donation intentions only. These findings underscore the importance of values-aligned, context-sensitive strategies to encourage sustainable behaviors across diverse cultural settings.