Do people behave as their family and friends? The role of social networks for pro-environmental behavior in Iceland

Abstract

We are facing environmental challenges we have never seen before. Now it is critical to examine pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Previous research on environmental behavior has not paid much attention to how different social contexts can affect behavior. The focus of this research is therefore to explain pro-environmental behaviors through the lens of environmental sociology. Environmental sociology examines the social construct of environmental problems, an analysis of their causes, impacts, and potential solutions. The sociological perspective illustrates that decisions and behaviors often appear to be individual but are in fact more often embedded in a larger social context. The goal of this research is to examine if people are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior if their friends and family are also engaging in it. To answer that I examine what factors influence people’s pro-environmental behavior, examine people’s pro-environmental attitudes, and lastly examine if people with pro-environmental attitudes are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The results showed that social networks do have an effect on recycling behavior, and they act as encouragement for people to put extra effort in protecting the environment. This shows that social context is important when examining pro-environmental behavior. The factors that influenced recycling behavior were social, networks, social norms, PBC factors (perceived behavioral control) and concerns about the environment. The factors that explained why some people engage in an extra-effort to protect the environment were social networks, social norms, PBC factors, age, and household income. Lastly, pro-environmental attitudes did not affect pro-environmental behavior when controlling for other factors. The conclusion of the results is therefore that people’s social network has more influence on people’s behavior than pro-environmental attitudes.