Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The 5 factor model of personality, including the traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, is a well-established theoretical model for describing how personality is structured. Hirsh (2010) demonstrated the big 5 personality traits, excluding extraversion, were correlated with pro-environmental attitudes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to replicate previous findings, and discover if there was a correlation with a person's pro-environmental behaviors and the big 5 personality traits. A total of 100 participants from an online participant pool completed a survey, which included the Environmental Concern Scale to measure concern and attitudes about the environment, and the General Ecological Behavior scale and the Self-Reported Pro-environmental Behavior Scale to measure participants' pro-environmental behaviors. Bivariate correlations and multiple regression were performed to determine the predictive relationship between personality traits and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. The trait of openness was significantly correlated with both pro-environmental attitudes, r(91) = .36, p < .01, and behaviors r(93) = .41, p < .01. Agreeableness was also significantly correlated with pro-environmental behaviors r(93) = .26, p <. 05. Multiple regression revealed that trait of openness was found to be a significant predictor of pro-environmental concern F(5, 87) = 3.69, p < .005, and behaviors F(5, 89) = 4.04, p < .002. The implications for positive social change include a better understanding for psychologists of which of the Big 5 personality traits are more likely to contribute in the participation preserving the environment.
Source: ScholarWorks (Walden University)
Author: Tara Rae Wuertz
Institution: Walden University
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: BAS Ecosystems, Behavioural and physiological measurements of seabirds to assess important bird areas under environmental impacts, Impacts of environmental change and human activity on marine predators in the Northern Bering Sea, Movement patterns of marine megafauna at unprecedented global scales
OpenAlex ID: W30879872