Global Citizens – Global Jet Setters? The Relation Between Global Identity, Sufficiency Orientation, Travelling, and a Socio-Ecological Transformation of the Mobility System

Abstract

Global crises such as the climate crisis require fast concerted action, but individual and structural barriers prevent a socio-ecological transformation in crucial areas such as the mobility sector. An identification with people all over the world (i.e., global identity) and an openness toward less consumption (i.e., sufficiency orientation) may represent psychological drivers of a socio-ecological transformation. We examined the compatibility of both concepts as well as their relation to people’s support of a decarbonised mobility system and their flight mobility behaviour – a CO2-intensive behaviour that may be particularly difficult to refrain from for globally identified people, but less so for sufficiency-oriented people. In an online study conducted in Germany (N = 317), we found that global identity and sufficiency orientation were positively related. Both were negatively related to past flight-related CO2 emissions and positively related to refraining from flying and the support of decarbonised mobility policies. Accounting for both showed that sufficiency orientation in particular was related to fewer flight-related CO2 emissions and refraining from flying. Furthermore, we examined people’s travel experiences. While global identity was unrelated to the frequency and duration of international travelling, it was positively related to the frequency and quality of contact with local people met on journeys. An experimental variation of whether participants first answered questions on global identity or on travel experiences revealed that remembering past international travelling led to higher reported levels of global identity. Taken together, global identity seems to profit from in-depth international contact with people, but can be decoupled from resource-intensive travel behaviour. Globally identified and sufficiency-oriented people may support a socio-ecological transformation. Our results indicate a compatibility of global identity and sufficiency orientation. Experimental and longitudinal research should examine causal links to foster our understanding of the conditions under which both can be strengthened.

Mind–Body Practice Is Related to Pro-environmental Engagement Through Self-compassion and Global Identity Rather Than to Self-enhancement

“…Researchers have argued that identification with all humanity might be a pathway towards addressing global (and socially unjust) environmental threats such as climate change because people strive for the well-being of their ingroups (e.g., Reese, 2016). Indeed, several prior studies have shown that global identity is positively related to proenvironmental behavior and policy support (e.g., Joanes, 2019;Loy & Reese, 2019;Loy et al, 2021;Renger & Reese, 2017).…”

Can Reflective Diary-Writing Increase Sufficiency-Oriented Consumption? A Longitudinal Intervention Addressing the Role of Basic Psychological Needs, Subjective Well-Being, and Time Affluence

“…One explanation for the ambiguity of our findings with the literature may be that sufficiency orientation and materialism may not be related as we assume throughout this paper and as conceptual research suggests [36,[116][117][118]. One reason might be that contemporary consumerism is more focused on services or areas of consumption that are not directly material (e.g., carbonized mobility practices [24,25] or digitalization [38]). Materialism measures do not necessarily capture these carbon-intensive consumption practices.…”

“…A reorganization of society in line with the sufficiency principle requires individuals who are open to rethink values and aspirations and develop a sufficiency orientation themselves. In line, sufficiency at the individual level represents a voluntary strategy to reduce consumption (e.g., [23]) in high-impact fields of action (e.g., see Loy et al [24] on flying and sufficiency orientation, see also Verfuerth et al [25]). In the German debate on adequate sustainability strategies, sufficiency is often criticized, partly out of fear that it might trigger feelings of loss and aversion (see Gossen et al [26] on how to communicate sufficiency in marketing strategies).…”

“…Furthermore, before (T1) and after the intervention (T2), participants answered questions about their sufficiency orientation, basic psychological need satisfaction, selfreflection, time affluence, SWB, and socio-demographics (age, gender, education, income). We also assessed political orientation as a covariate due to its relations with sufficiency orientation and pro-environmental attitudes [24,94].…”

Social identities in climate action

“…However, to achieve such transformation, there is still the need to systematically connect psychological theories and embed them in interdisciplinary research at the intersection with, e.g., political change (Wullenkord and Hamann 2021). Specifically related to the transformation of socio-ecological systems, a perspective on identities puts particular attention to the existence of a global identity (Loy et al 2021), often defined as a "shared identity as human beings" (Manuel-Navarrete and Buzinde 2010, p. 143), or on collective identities resulting from local place attachment (Escalera-Reyes 2020) to effect climate action.…”