How much does your appetite for risk influence your decision to act sustainably? A study by Stepan Vesely and Christian A. Klöckner published in Frontiers in Psychology investigates whether people’s economic risk preferences, such as a tendency to avoid or embrace risky choices, relate to their environmental behaviors.
In their case by case analysis of 28 behaviors, including recycling, energy conservation, and green consumer choices, the researchers found that most pro-environmental actions were not significantly influenced by a person’s risk tolerance. However, a few notable exceptions emerged. Individuals with higher risk seeking tendencies were more likely to use public transportation and consume organic food. They were also more prone to choose eco-unfriendly detergents and single use plastic cups, which may reflect how they weigh convenience and perceived risk.
Interestingly, those who were more risk averse were slightly more likely to bring reusable shopping bags and dispose of hazardous waste like batteries responsibly. But overall, the study found that risk preferences were not a major driver of sustainable behavior.
These findings challenge the assumption that risk related personality traits play a strong role in shaping environmental responsibility. Instead, they suggest that promoting sustainable behavior may require approaches that emphasize social norms, ethical values, or practical convenience rather than focusing on individual risk profiles.
Vesely and Klöckner emphasize the need for further research, especially into specific behaviors that do appear to correlate with risk attitudes. Their work highlights how understanding the psychology behind environmental choices can improve how we encourage greener lifestyles.
Reference
- Vesely, S., & Klöckner, C. A. (2023). Is environmental behavior related to economic risk preferences? An exploratory case by case analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1212685. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1212685
Serra Húnter Fellow of Sociology at Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
Former DAAD-Gastprofessorin at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg