Investigating the relationship between Schwartz’s value orientations and the environmental behaviours of citizens in Tabriz

Environmental issues, including the preservation of nature, carry profound social and cultural implications, positioning environmental protection as a fundamental concern of our era. A key question in the context of human interaction with nature is the extent to which individuals’ environmental values correlate with their behaviors toward the environment. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Schwartz's value orientations and the environmental behaviors of citizens in Tabriz. Employing a survey method, the research targeted individuals aged 15 to 64 in Tabriz (1,125,534 people), from which a sample of 364 participants was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analysed using SPSS software. The findings indicated a slightly above-average level of environmental behaviors (56.25%), a slightly below-average level of self-oriented values (44.46%), an average level of ecocentric values (52.3%), and a higher-than-average level of altruistic values (63.8%). Bivariate analysis revealed a significant relationship between environmental behaviors and self-oriented values (negative), ecocentric values (positive), altruistic values (positive), economic capital (positive), and gender (favoring women). However, no significant relationship was found between environmental behaviors and either age or education. Among the independent variables included in the regression model, self-oriented, ecocentric, and altruistic values, along with economic capital, remained statistically significant. Collectively, these variables accounted for 30.4% of the total variance in the dependent variable, environmental behaviors.