The “I” and the “We” in Nature Conservation—Investigating Personal and Collective Motives to Protect One’s Regional and Global Nature

Abstract

Personal pro-environmental action has often been explained in terms of personal cost-benefit analyses and personal capabilities. However, given that only collectives and not single individuals can effectively address large-scale environmental crises, such as mass extinction of species, peoples’ pro-environmental motivation might emerge from their perceived involvement in agentic collectives, as proposed in the social identity model of pro-environmental action (SIMPEA). Collective cognition and motivation (e.g., ingroup identification, ingroup norms, collective efficacy, and group-based emotion) might drive identified group members’ nature protection intention and behavior both directly and indirectly by affecting personal factors (e.g., personal attitudes). We tested this in two related nationally representative surveys of N = 2065 Germans, measuring both personal and collective predictors as well as nature protection intentions and behavior on either the regional or the worldwide, global level. As hypothesized, blockwise regression analyses suggest that collective factors affect people’s conservation action both directly and indirectly. In addition, participants’ identification with all humanity moderated the relationship between collective factors and personal intention (and personal norms) to protect global nature. Overall, the results support propositions of the social identity model of pro-environmental action and highlight the importance of collective factors motivating citizens’ conservation action.

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

“…In other words, perceived collective norms and efficacy might affect people's pro-environmental behavior by changing the personal attitudes that then drive pro-environmental action. Our results are in line with other studies showing that collective motivation can foster pro-environmental behavior, either directly [30] or through changes in personal pro-environmental motivation [35,53]. For example, previous results indicate that a strong sense of identification with an energy community initiative was positively associated with sustainable energy behavior and behavior intentions [54].…”

A belowground perspective on the nexus between biodiversity change, climate change, and human well‐being

“…Society's pivotal role in mitigating soil biodiversity loss and climate change hinges on comprehensive engagement across all levels, from grassroots initiatives to global governance structures (van der Putten et al, 2023) as well as from individuals, groups, and businesses, thus state and non‐state actors alike (Fritsche et al, 2018; Zacher et al, 2023). These interconnected challenges can be addressed only through concerted efforts encompassing collective action, policy advocacy, inclusive practices, and individual behavioral change (Hoppe et al, 2023; IPBES, 2019). Several key roles emerge for society in this endeavor: …”

“…However, increasing problem awareness and knowledge is only a first step, given the gaps between individual attitudes and behavior (Bamberg & Möser, 2007) as well as individuals’ social interdependencies when aiming at protecting nature (Fritsche et al, 2018). As a second step, it is thus crucial to support individual action and the acceptance of soil protection policies to foster and encourage people's sense of collective environmental agency (e.g., pro‐environmental social norms and collective efficacy; Fritsche & Masson, 2021) in their self‐relevant social groups, such as local and large‐scale communities or professional groups (e.g., farmers; Hoppe et al, 2023; Marder et al, 2023). …”