Prediction of environmental activism: The role of knowledge, attitudes, affects and behaviors

Abstract

The components of ecological li teracy comprise knowledge, attitudes, affect, behavior, and environmental activism. The goal of this paper is to establish whether environmental activism can be predicted on the basis of environmental knowledge, proenvironmental attitudes, affect, and behavior. In addition to this, the goal of the research is to examine to what extent individuals of different activism levels differ in terms of knowledge of basic environmental problems, expression of the attitude of ecological apathy, anthropocentrism, belonging to nature and connection with nature, as well as usual practices of pro-environmental behavior. By surveying a sample of adult respondents from Serbia who belong to a group devoted to an environmental problem (N=255), we have discovered that general environmental knowledge alone does not contribute to pro-environmental behaviors or environmental activism. The predictors of activism are pro-environmental attitudes, an affective attitude towards nature, and common pro-environmental behaviors, even though they help distinguish a group of barely active members from two groups of more active members, but they do not help distinguish those who are active in a virtual space from those who participate personally. The groups are further distinguished by other variables, such as the locus of control, values, and the phenomenon of quasi-activism. The established connection between knowledge and emotional affinity towards nature seems to represent a reciprocal relationship, and indicates that the right way to learn is to acquire knowledge, but while developing a love for nature.