In this study, the role of values in the field of household energy use is investigated by using the concept of quality of life (QOL). Importance judgments on 22 QOL aspects could be summarized into seven clearly interpretable value dimensions. The seven value dimensions and general and specific environmental concern contributed significantly to the explanation of policy support for government regulation and for market strategies aimed at managing environmental problems as well as to the explanation of the acceptability of specific home and transport energy-saving measures. In line with earlier research, home and transport energy use were especially related to sociodemographic variables like income and household size. These results show that it is relevant to distinguish between different measures of environmental impact and different types of environmental intent. Moreover, the results suggest that using only attitudinal variables, such as values, may be too limited to explain all types of environmental behavior.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Axelrod, L. J. (1994). Balancing personal needs with environmental preservation: Identifying the values that guide decisions in ecological dilemmas. Journal of Social Issues, 50(3), 85-104.
2.
Black, J. S., Stern, P. C., & Elworth, J. T. (1985). Personal and contextual influences on household energy adaptations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70(1), 3-21.
3.
Brandon, G., & Lewis, A. (1999). Reducing household energy consumption: A qualitative and quantitative field study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19, 75-85.
4.
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (1999). Statistisch jaarboek [Statistical yearbook]. The Hague, the Netherlands: SDU.
5.
Corraliza, J. A.,& Berenguer, J. (2000). Environmental values, beliefs, and actions. Asituational approach. Environment and Behavior, 32(6), 832-848.
6.
Dunlap, R. E., Grieneeks, J. K., & Rokeach, M. (1983). Human values and pro-environmental behavior. InW.D. Conn (Ed.), Energy and material resources: Attitudes, values, and public policy. Boulder, CO: Westview.
7.
Dunlap, R. E.,& Van Liere, K. D. (1978). The newenvironmental paradigm: Aproposed measuring instrument and preliminary results. Journal of Environmental Education, 9, 10-19.
8.
Dürr, H. P. (1994). Sustainable, equitable economics. The personal energy budget. In P. B. Smith, S. E. Okoye, J. deWilde,& P. Deshingkar. (eds.), The world at the crossroads. Towards a sustainable, equitable and livable world. London: Earthscan.
9.
Gatersleben, B. (2000). Sustainable household metabolism and quality of life: Examining the perceived social sustainability of environmentally sustainable household consumption patterns. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Psychological, Pedagogical, and Sociological Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
10.
Gatersleben, B., Steg, L.,& Vlek, C. (2002). The measurement and determinants of environmentally significant consumer behaviour. Environment and Behavior, 34(3), 335-362.
11.
Karp, D. G. (1996). Values and their effect on pro-environmental behavior. Environment and Behavior, 28(1), 111-133.
12.
Kramer, K. J., Wiersma, G., Gatersleben, B., Noorman, K. J., & Biesiot, W. (1998). Huishoudelijk energiegebruik gemeten. Aard omvang en veranderingspotentieel. Groningen [Measuring household energy use. Nature, amount, and change potential] (IVEMReport No. 93). Groningen, the Netherlands: Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Groningen.
13.
Noorman, K. J.,& Schoot Uiterkamp, A. J. M. (Eds.). (1998). Green households? Domestic consumers, environment, and sustainability. London: Earthscan.
14.
Poortinga, W., Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2002). Environmental risk concern and preferences for energy-saving measures. Environment and Behavior, 34(4), 455-478.
15.
Poortinga, W., Steg, L., Vlek, C., & Wiersma, G. (2003). Household preferences for energysaving measures. A conjoint analysis. Journal of Economic Psychology, 24, 49-64.
16.
Poortinga, W., Wiersma, G., Steg, L., Vlek, C., Noorman, K.J., Moll, H., et al. (2001). Expected quality of life impacts of experimental scenarios for sustainable household energy use. Unpublished manuscript. Groningen, the Netherlands: Centre for Environmental and Traffic Psychology/Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Groningen.
17.
Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. New York: Free Press.
18.
Schultz, P. W., & Zelezny, L. (1999). Values as predictors of environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19(3), 255-276.
19.
Schwartz, S. H. (1994). Are there universal aspects in the structure and contents of human values? Journal of Social Issues, 50(4), 19-45.
20.
Schwartz, S. H.,& Bilsky, W. (1990). Toward a universal content and structure of values. Extensions and cross-cultural replications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(5), 878-891.
21.
Steg, E. M. (1999). Verspilde energie? Wat doen en laten Nederlanders voor het milieu? [Wasted energy? What the Dutch do and don’t do for the environment]. The Hague: Social and Cultural Planning Office of the Netherlands (SCP).
22.
Stern, P. C. (2000). Towards a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 407-424.
23.
Stern, P. C., & Dietz, T. (1994). The value basis of environmental concern. Journal of Social Issues, 50(3), 65-84.
24.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Abel, T., Guagnano, G. A.,& Kalof, L. (1999). Avalue-belief-norm theory of support for social movements: The case of environmentalism. Research in Human Ecology, 6(2), 81-97.
25.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1995). The new ecological paradigm in socialpsychological context. Environment and Behavior, 27(6), 723-743.
26.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1998). A brief inventory of values. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58(6), 984-1001.
27.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Kalof, L.,& Guagnano, G. A. (1995). Values, beliefs, and proenvironmental action: Attitude formation toward emergent objects. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25(18), 1611-1636.
28.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Ruttan, V. W., Socolow, R. H., & Sweeney, J. L. (Eds.). (1997). Environmentally significant consumption. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
29.
Van Diepen, A. (2000). Households and their spatial-energetic practices. Searching for sustainable urban forms. Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
30.
Vlek, C., Rooijers, A. J.,& Steg, E. M. (1999). Duurzamer consumeren. Meer kwaliteit van leven met minder materiaal? [Sustainable consumption. More quality of life with less material?) (Research Report COV 99-03]. Groningen, the Netherlands: Centre for Environmental and Traffic Psychology, University of Groningen.
31.
Vlek, C., Skolnik, M., & Gatersleben, B. (1998). Sustainable development and quality of life. Expected effects of prospective changes in economic and environmental conditions. Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie, 45(4), 319-333.
32.
Vringer, K.,& Blok, K. (1995). The direct and indirect energy requirements of households in the Netherlands. Energy Policy, 23(10), 893-910.
