Adapting to climate change in Canada will require collective action, and as such, gaining a better understanding of the social factors predicting pro-environmental behaviors is vital. In the current study, using theory from the organizational psychology domain, we examined whether individuals' attachment to their community and perceptions of their community's resilience were related to the extent to which individuals perceived norms related to pro-environmental action within close others, and in turn, whether these social norms are associated with perceptions of climate change risk and subsequent willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Findings from 1,156 Canadian citizens or permanent residents supported the hypotheses. Mediation analyses indicated that, first, descriptive and prescriptive norms for pro-environmental behavior, and then perceptions of climate change risk, serially mediated the association between community attachment and resilience and willingness to engage in social advocacy and tax support to adapt to climate change in their community. In the face of a rapidly changing climate across Canadian communities, this contextual understanding of pro-environmental activism and influence, as well as implications pertaining to the importance of community identification, culture, norms, and leadership, has implications for future research and practice.
Smith, CJ; Dupré, KE; McEvoy, A; Kenny, S
Community Perceptions and Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Mediating Roles of Social Norms and Climate Change Risk
Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science-Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement