Give Up Flights? Psychological Predictors of Intentions and Policy Support to Reduce Air Travel

Abstract

Concerted, timely action for mitigating climate change is of uttermost importance to keep global warming as close to 1.5°C as possible. Air traffic already plays a strong role in driving climate change and is projected to grow—with only limited technical potential for decarbonizing this means of transport. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the expansion of air traffic or even facilitate a reduction in affluent countries. Effective policies and behavioral change, especially among frequent flyers, can help to lower greenhouse gas emissions. For both, a positive evaluation and public support is indispensable. This study contributes to understanding air travel behavior and the perception of regulative policies. We examined the role of attitudes, perceived behavioral control, efficacy, global identity, and justice concerns for intentions to avoid flights and aviation-related environmental policy support. We conducted an online survey study with a quota sample of N = 2,530 participants in Germany. The strongest positive predictors of intentions to refrain from flying and policy support were perceived behavioral control to travel without flying, efficacy beliefs that avoiding air travel contributes to climate change mitigation, and intergenerational justice concerns; pro-travel attitude was a negative predictor. Moreover, we tested whether the provision of additional information on climate impact, global and intranational inequalities as well as subsidies (implying intranational inequality) affected the intention to avoid air travel and policy support. We found no effects of the different types of information. Nor did we find an interaction between the type of information provided and global or national identity. Our results highlight the need for a shift within the mobility sector that facilitates attractive and accessible transport alternatives in order to strengthen people’s behavioral control to choose other means than planes and their efficacy perceptions. Moreover, raising awareness of the impacts of climate change on future generations and developing strategies to promote people’s concern for intergenerational justice might motivate people to reduce air travel and thereby contribute to a livable future for new generations.

Discounting the future: The effect of collective motivation on investment decisions and acceptance of policies for renewable energy

“…The majority of the studies on collective pro-environmental motivation and pro-environmental behavior, however, have targeted private consumption behaviors or activist behavior (Fritsche et al, 2018). In contrast, fewer studies have investigated the effects of collective pro-environmental motivation on economic behavior, such as decisions about investment in green businesses or acceptance of green, but relatively costly policy measures [37]. Applying the social identity perspective to the study of green investment behavior may be a timely endeavor, as raising investment in green businesses can be considered a key strategy to facilitate the transformation towards carbon neutrality.…”

Discounting the future: The effect of collective motivation on investment decisions and acceptance of policies for renewable energy

“…environmental activist groups), but were also observed for broader social categories (e.g., community identification; [36]). This suggests that social identities may provide a point of entry for interventions green, but relatively costly policy measures [37]. Applying the social identity perspective to the study of green investment behavior may be a timely endeavor, as raising investment in green businesses can be considered a key strategy to facilitate the transformation towards carbonneutrality.…”