Do Biospheric Values Moderate the Impact of Information Appeals on Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions?

Abstract

Information-based interventions are still the most commonly used intervention approach to motivate people to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. However, recently, researchers assume that the effectiveness of such information depends on the extent to which recipients endorse biospheric values (the so-called ‘values-as-moderator’ hypothesis). If this hypothesis is correct, it would have important implications for the use of information appeals: they could not motivate the entire population, but only those population groups with high biospheric values. Two experimental studies using case vignettes were conducted to investigate the effects of biospheric values prioritization, an informational and a socio-normative appeal, as well as the interaction between biospheric values and those two interventions on two different pro-environmental behavioral intentions: everyday ‘low-cost’ behavior of purchasing (organic) coffee (Study 1) and the more difficult ‘high-cost’ behavior of adopting a heating style that prevents rebound effects (Study 2). In Study 1 we additionally examined the influence of the degree of privacy in which a behavior takes place on the purchase intention. Both studies were conducted as online survey studies in Germany. A total of 800 participants took part in each study. We used moderated logistic regression models to examine the main and interaction effects of biospheric values and the two different appeals on participants’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Both studies showed a significant main effect of the informational appeal on pro-environmental behavioral intentions. In Study 1, but not in Study 2, the main effect of the socio-normative appeal was also significant, especially if the purchase decision took place in a public space. However, no consistent evidence of a meaningful effect of biospheric values was found: the main effect of biospheric values was statistically significant only in Study 1, and the postulated interactions between biospheric values and interventions were not statistically significant in either study. Further theoretical and practical implications of the reported results are discussed.