Collective climate action: Determinants of participation intention in community-based pro-environmental initiatives

There seems to be consensus that apart from individual behavioral change, system-wide transformations are required to address the challenges posed by climate change. Collective action is viewed as one core mechanism in social transformation but there is currently no systematic research on collective...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental psychology Vol. 43; pp. 155 - 165
Main Authors: Bamberg, Sebastian, Rees, Jonas, Seebauer, Sebastian
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier India Pvt Ltd 01.09.2015
Subjects:
behavior change
Climate
Climate change
Collective action
Construction costs
Dual-pathway model of collective action
Effectiveness
Encapsulation model of social identity in collective action
Mathematical models
psychology
research programs
social identification
Social identity model of collective action
Students
Temporal logic
temporal variation
theoretical models
Transformations
Transition Town movement
variance
Encapsulation model of social identity in collective action
Dual-pathway model of collective action
Climate change
Collective action
Social identity model of collective action
Transition Town movement
ISSN:0272-4944, 1522-9610
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:There seems to be consensus that apart from individual behavioral change, system-wide transformations are required to address the challenges posed by climate change. Collective action is viewed as one core mechanism in social transformation but there is currently no systematic research on collective climate action. By reviewing theoretical perspectives and models explaining collective protest, we aim to provide a starting point for such a research program. Based on correlational data from a student sample (N = 652), a sample of participants of a local climate protection initiative (N = 71), and visitors of a climate protection event (N = 88), we tested constructs derived from these theoretical models. Social identity, perceived behavioral control, and participative efficacy beliefs consistently predicted substantial amounts of variance in participation intention. Implications for future research are discussed, such as recognizing the interplay between cost-benefit calculations and social identity, or temporal dynamics in collective action engagement. •Collective action has historically been a motor of social transformation.•A host of theories and models has been developed in the realm of collective protest.•We transfer and test these models in the context of collective climate action.•Social identity was the core predictor of collective climate action across studies.
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ISSN:0272-4944
1522-9610
DOI:10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.06.006