The attitude-behavior gap is not one-sided: Some do more for the environment than they believe
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F44555601%3A13510%2F25%3A43899410" target="_blank" >RIV/44555601:13510/25:43899410 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214804325001107" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214804325001107</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2025.102446" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.socec.2025.102446</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
The attitude-behavior gap is not one-sided: Some do more for the environment than they believe
Original language description
This incentivized laboratory experiment (N = 99) maps survey-measured environmental attitudes onto behavior elicited through an effort task, enabling the analysis of both negative attitude-behavior gaps (where attitudes exceed behavior) and positive gaps (where behavior exceeds attitudes). Environmental attitudes were measured using the New Ecological Paradigm Scale. Behavior was assessed through the Survivor Task, in which participants had to press the spacebar at least once every 20 seconds to keep the task running. As long as the task remained active, it generated donations for a local project aimed at improving the environment. The experiment revealed not only the commonly discussed negative attitude-behavior gap but also a similarly sized positive gap. Although the negative gap was slightly larger, participants with a positive gap contributed three times more to the total donation of e182. Given gender differences in attitudes, exploratory analysis showed that women exhibited smaller gaps than men, indicating a closer alignment between attitudes and behavior. This aligns with our additional finding: attitudes and behavior were positively correlated for women but negatively for men. The results challenge the common belief that most people fail to act on their attitudes. Since many act better than their attitudes predict, efforts to close the negative gap may fail if the positive gap is overlooked.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
50204 - Business and management
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/TL05000674" target="_blank" >TL05000674: Municipalities talk about water: Communication of the implementation of rainwater management measures in cities</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics
ISSN
2214-8043
e-ISSN
2214-8051
Volume of the periodical
119
Issue of the periodical within the volume
December 2025
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
10
Pages from-to
1-10
UT code for WoS article
001584780900001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105016848204