Explanatory model of the psychosocial variables related to the social acceptance of a uranium mine project in northwest Spain.

Introduction: The demographic growth and the development of the welfare system have been accompanied by an important social dilemma between preserving nature or promoting energy development by assuming the benefits and risks of both proposals. This research attempts to address this social dilemma by analyzing the psychosocial factors that influence the acceptance or rejection of a new uranium mining development and exploitation project. The main objective was to test an explanatory theoretical model of uranium mining project acceptance, based on the interrelation of sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, gender, economic and educational situation, and level of knowledge about uranium energy) and cognitive variables (e.g., environmental beliefs, risk, and benefit perceptions), along with the activation of an emotional balance in response to the proposal of constructing a uranium mine. Method: Three hundred seventy-one individuals responded to the questionnaire about the variables included in the model. Results: The results showed that older participants showed lower levels of agreement with the mining proposal people, while women and those with greater knowledge of nuclear energy perceived greater risks and had a more negative emotional balance. The proposed explanatory model based on sociodemographic, cognitive, and affective variables showed good fit indices for explaining the assessment of the uranium mine. Thus, age, level of knowledge, risks and benefits, and emotional balance had a direct effect on the acceptance of the mine. Likewise, emotional balance showed a partial mediation effect between the relationships existing between the perception of benefits and risks and the acceptance of the mining proposal. Discussion: The results are discussed based on the consideration of analyzing sociodemographic, cognitive, and affective variables to understand potential conflicts in communities affected by energy projects.

Examining environmentally responsible behaviour, environmental beliefs and conservation commitment of tourists: a path towards responsible consumption and production in tourism.

Responsible consumption and production are one of the interlinked global goals in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The environmentally conscious tourists can help planners encourage the sustainable development of recreational areas by assessing their environmental practices. This study aims to examine the role of environmental beliefs and conservation commitment on the environmentally responsible behaviour of tourists in Malaysia. The study used a quantitative approach by distributing the questionnaire to 1000 tourists, and 731 usable questionnaires were utilized for further analysis. The researchers utilized Structural Equation Modelling using Smart PLS version 3.2. The measurement and structural models were assessed and reported in structural equation modelling. The study found that environmental beliefs and conservation commitment significantly influence the environmentally responsible behaviour of tourists in Malaysia. The study posed theoretical and practical implications for future researchers and practitioners.

Religiosity Moderates the Link Between Environmental Beliefs and Pro-Environmental Support: The Role of Belief in a Controlling God.

The current research examines differences in what motivates environmentally sustainable behavior between more and less religious people in the United States. We found that religiosity moderates the extent to which environmental beliefs predict pro-environmental support. Specifically, environmental beliefs predicted pro-environmental support less strongly among more religious people than less religious people (Studies 1 and 2). Using a correlational (Study 2) and an experimental (Study 3) design, we further found that one particular aspect of religiosity-believing in a controlling god-reduced the importance of personally held environmental beliefs in shaping one's support for pro-environmental actions. Our findings suggest that motivation to act based on personal beliefs may be attenuated among people who are religious because they believe in an external source of control. Sociocultural factors, such as religion, shape the psychological underpinnings of social actions, and the present research underscores the importance of understanding psychological diversity in promoting support toward environmental sustainability.

The Aversion to Tampering with Nature (ATN) Scale: Individual Differences in (Dis)comfort with Altering the Natural World.

People differ in their comfort with tampering with the natural world. Although some see altering nature as a sign of human progress, others see it as dangerous or hubristic. Across four studies, we investigate discomfort with tampering with the natural world. To do so, we develop the Aversion to Tampering with Nature (ATN) Scale, a short scale that is the first to directly measure this discomfort. We identify six activities that people believe tamper with nature (geoengineering, genetically modified organisms, pesticides, cloning, gene therapy, and nanoparticles) and show that ATN scores are associated with opposition to these activities. Furthermore, the ATN Scale predicts actual behavior: donations to an anti-tampering cause. We demonstrate that ATN is related to previously identified constructs including trust in technology, naturalness bias, purity values, disgust sensitivity, aversion to playing God, and environmental beliefs and values. By illuminating who is concerned about tampering with nature and what predicts these beliefs, the ATN Scale provides opportunities to better understand public opposition to technological innovations, consumer preferences for "natural" products, and strategies for science communication.

Crenças ambientais entre jovens engajados em coletivos socioambientais / Environmental beliefs among youngsters engaged in socioenvironmental groups

As crenças ambientais são construtos importantes para os estudos das relações pessoa-ambiente, visto que estas crenças orientam os comportamentos ecológicos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar as crenças ambientais presentes em jovens engajados em coletivos socioambientais. Participaram do estudo 19 moças e rapazes integrantes de quatro coletivos socioambientais da região metropolitana de Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil. Os participantes responderam a um questionário com perguntas sobre o seu perfil sociodemográfico e uma escala de crenças ambientais. A partir da análise estatística, os resultados mostraram que esses jovens têm crenças predominantemente ecocêntricas e que o engajamento no grupo os ajuda a fortalecer seu próprio comportamento em relação ao cuidado ambiental e a crenças ambientais pessoais.

Environmental beliefs are important constructs for the study of human-environment relations, since these beliefs guide ecological behavior. The objective of this study was to analyze the environmental beliefs present in young people engaged in social and environmental groups. Nineteen youngsters, actuating in four sócio-environmental groups, participated in the study, at the metropolitan region of Manaus. Participants answered a questionnaire with questions about their sociodemographic profile and a scale of environmental beliefs. From the statistical analysis, the results showed that these young people have predominantly ecocentric beliefs and that group engagement helps them strengthen their own behavior in relation to environmental care and personal environmental beliefs.

Measuring Values in Environmental Research: A Test of an Environmental Portrait Value Questionnaire.

Four human values are considered to underlie individuals' environmental beliefs and behaviors: biospheric (i.e., concern for environment), altruistic (i.e., concern for others), egoistic (i.e., concern for personal resources) and hedonic values (i.e., concern for pleasure and comfort). These values are typically measured with an adapted and shortened version of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS), to which we refer as the Environmental-SVS (E-SVS). Despite being well-validated, recent research has indicated some concerns about the SVS methodology (e.g., comprehensibility, self-presentation biases) and suggested an alternative method of measuring human values: The Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ). However, the PVQ has not yet been adapted and applied to measure values most relevant to understand environmental beliefs and behaviors. Therefore, we tested the Environmental-PVQ (E-PVQ) - a PVQ variant of E-SVS -and compared it with the E-SVS in two studies. Our findings provide strong support for the validity and reliability of both the E-SVS and E-PVQ. In addition, we find that respondents slightly preferred the E-PVQ over the E-SVS (Study 1). In general, both scales correlate similarly to environmental self-identity (Study 1), energy behaviors (Studies 1 and 2), pro-environmental personal norms, climate change beliefs and policy support (Study 2). Accordingly, both methodologies show highly similar results and seem well-suited for measuring human values underlying environmental behaviors and beliefs.

Creencias y normas subjetivas como predictores de intención de comportamiento proambiental / Beliefs and subjective norms as predictors of pro-environmental intention

El propósito de esta investigación fue describir y establecer la relación que hay entre las creencias y normas subjetivas con la intención de conducta proambiental en una institución universitaria privada de la ciudad de Bogotá (Colombia). Se contó con la participación de 346 estudiantes seleccionados mediante un muestreo no probabilístico según la proporción de programas de pregrado y posgrado. Se administró la Escala de Comportamiento Proambiental (67 ítems), que evalúa creencias, normas subjetivas e intención de conducta proambiental. Se identificó que las normas subjetivas pro y antiambientales pueden ser predictores consistentes de la intención de conducta pro y antiambiental.

The purpose of this study was to describe and establish the relationship between beliefs and subjective norms with the pro-environmental intention of a private university in the city of Bogota (Colombia). A total of 346 students participated in the study, and they were selected using non-probability sampling according to the proportion of undergraduate and graduate programs. The pro-environmental behaviour scale (67 items) was administered in order to evaluate beliefs, subjective norms, and intention of pro-environmental behaviour. It was found that pro-and anti-environmental subjective rules may be consistent predictors of pro-and anti-environmental intent.

Attenuating initial beliefs: increasing the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change information by reflecting on values.

Anthropogenic climate change information tends to be interpreted against the backdrop of initial environmental beliefs, which can lead to some people being resistant toward the information. In this article (N = 88), we examined whether self-affirmation via reflection on personally important values could attenuate the impact of initial beliefs on the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change evidence. Our findings showed that initial beliefs about the human impact on ecological stability influenced the acceptance of information only among nonaffirmed participants. Self-affirmed participants who were initially resistant toward the information showed stronger beliefs in the existence of climate change risks and greater acknowledgment that individual efficacy has a role to play in reducing climate change risks than did their nonaffirmed counterparts.

As crenças ambientais de trabalhadores provenientes de empresa certificada por SGA podem predizer comportamentos pró-ambientais fora da empresa? / Can the environmental beliefs of workers from environmental certified companies predict their environmental behavior outside the organization?

A implantação e utilização de Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental (SGA) requer das empresas uma nova postura, uma mudança ambiental, sobretudo, na rotina de seus trabalhadores, em suas crenças ambientais e em seus comportamentos pró-ambientais fora da empresa. O presente artigo visa analisar as diferenças nas crenças ambientais, considerando a estrutura dicotômica antropocentrismo x ecocentrismo, em três grupos de trabalhadores brasileiros: provenientes de empresas certificadas por SGA (n = 232), não certificadas (n = 153) e não certificadas com política ambiental (n = 169). Ao mesmo tempo, se verificou o potencial preditor das crenças ambientais sobre os comportamentos pró-ambientais. Os resultados apontam que os trabalhadores que são de empresas não certificadas e não certificadas com política ambiental apresentam pontuações mais elevadas de crenças ambientais de tipo antropocêntricas. Além disto, se constatou que ser de uma empresa certificada e possuir crenças ecocêntricas são variáveis que possuem efeito explicativo sobre alguns fatores do comportamento pró-ambiental.(AU)

The implementation and utilization of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) requires new approach for the companies, and an environmental change, even in their workers routine, environmental beliefs and in their environmental behaviors outside the company. This paper aims to analyze the differences between the environmental beliefs, considering the dichotomy anthropocentrism x ecocentrism structure in three groups of Brazilian workers: from companies certified by an EMS (n = 232), non certified (n = 153) and non certified with environmental policy (n = 169). At the same time, we verified the potential of prediction of the environmental beliefs over the environmental behaviors. The results points out that the workers from companies non certified and non certified with environmental policy mostly presented high level of anthropocentric beliefs. Furthermore, being an EMS worker and presenting ecocentric beliefs can explain some of environmental behavior factor.(AU)

As crenças ambientais de trabalhadores provenientes de empresa certificada por SGA podem predizer comportamentos pró-ambientais fora da empresa? / Can the environmental beliefs of workers from environmental certified companies predict their environmental behavior outside the organization?

A implantação e utilização de Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental (SGA) requer das empresas uma nova postura, uma mudança ambiental, sobretudo, na rotina de seus trabalhadores, em suas crenças ambientais e em seus comportamentos pró-ambientais fora da empresa. O presente artigo visa analisar as diferenças nas crenças ambientais, considerando a estrutura dicotômica antropocentrismo x ecocentrismo, em três grupos de trabalhadores brasileiros: provenientes de empresas certificadas por SGA (n = 232), não certificadas (n = 153) e não certificadas com política ambiental (n = 169). Ao mesmo tempo, se verificou o potencial preditor das crenças ambientais sobre os comportamentos pró-ambientais. Os resultados apontam que os trabalhadores que são de empresas não certificadas e não certificadas com política ambiental apresentam pontuações mais elevadas de crenças ambientais de tipo antropocêntricas. Além disto, se constatou que ser de uma empresa certificada e possuir crenças ecocêntricas são variáveis que possuem efeito explicativo sobre alguns fatores do comportamento pró-ambiental.

The implementation and utilization of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) requires new approach for the companies, and an environmental change, even in their workers routine, environmental beliefs and in their environmental behaviors outside the company. This paper aims to analyze the differences between the environmental beliefs, considering the dichotomy anthropocentrism x ecocentrism structure in three groups of Brazilian workers: from companies certified by an EMS (n = 232), non certified (n = 153) and non certified with environmental policy (n = 169). At the same time, we verified the potential of prediction of the environmental beliefs over the environmental behaviors. The results points out that the workers from companies non certified and non certified with environmental policy mostly presented high level of anthropocentric beliefs. Furthermore, being an EMS worker and presenting ecocentric beliefs can explain some of environmental behavior factor.