Do our Values Allow Prediction of our Environmental Behaviours?

• Author: Bakita-Ella, M. - Rioux, L. - Pavalache-Ilie, M.
• Position: Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France - Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
• Pages: 61-66

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 6 (55) No. 1 - 2013

DO OUR VALUES ALLOW PREDICTION

OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL

BEHAVIOURS?

M. BAKITA-ELLA1 L. RIOUX

1

M. PAVALACHE-ILIE2

Abstract: Our research aims to identify the connections between the values

and the environmental behaviour defined by two components: the pro-social

behaviour and the pro-environmental one. More precisely, we state that the

subscale ‘Pursuit of knowledge’ is a predictor of these two behaviours. The

results obtained on a sample of French high-school students only partially

confirm the hypothesis, but suggest to focus on the values composing the

subscale ‘Pursuit of knowledge’ in order to facilitate the adoption of a pro-

environmental behaviour amongst the students.

Key words: ecological behaviour, pro-social behaviour, pro-environmental

behaviour, values.

1 Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France.

2 Transilvania University of Braşov, Romania.

1. Introduction

Since the publication of the Brundtland

report [1], which defines the concept of

Sustainable Development as ‘developme nt

that meets the needs of the pres ent without

compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs’

(p.740), natural resources are no longer

considered only simple resources that

should be protected from human threats, but

also resources the consumption of which

should be controlled. From this perspective,

it is essential to radically modify our

production and consumption manners, thus

changing our behaviour towards the natural

environment and the use of its resources.

Defined as the behaviours adopted by ‘an

individual who consciously decides to

minimise his ne gative impacts on the

natural and artificial environment’ [10] the

behaviours in-favour of the environment, or

pro-environmental behaviours have become

an object of study more and more

frequently examined in the last decades in

humanistic sciences in general and

environmental psychology in particular.

Numerous factors influence the pro-

environmental behaviour. Amongst them,

one could mention gender [19], level of

education [18], culture [7], the social norms

[9], the environmental attitude [11] and

environmental knowledge [5], be it

declarative [3], procedural [23], or social

[21]. For more details the reader could

direct himself to the articles of Kollmuss

and Agyeman [10] and Rioux [17].

However, the impact of these factors most

often seems to be weak or indirect [6], [10].