Time, Altruism, and Hope: Factors that Increase the Consistency of Pro-environmental Behaviors

A variety of factors have been shown to be associated with environmental attitudes but few studies demonstrate a link between these factors and pro-environmental behaviors. This study examined how a future temporal perspective, environmental altruism, and hope are related to (1) engaging in pro-environmental behaviors and (2) length of time engaging in pro-environmental behaviors. Participants completed the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999), a measure of pro-environmental behaviors based on altruistic reasoning, the Trait Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991), and a self-report measure which requested that participants estimate how long they have engaged in pro-environmental behaviors. Statistical analyses supported the relationship between altruism and pro-environmental behaviors, however, the role of hope and a future orientation were not supported as potential motivators associated with engaging in pro-environmental behaviors. Altruism continues to be associated with engaging in pro-environmental behaviors, however, it is still unclear what moderates this relationship. Moreover, this research highlights the likelihood that engaging in pro-environmental behaviors is influenced by a complex web of motivating factors