Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Linking Subjective Wellbeing and Pro-environmental Behaviour: A Multidimensional Approach

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Linking Sustainability and Happiness

Part of the book series: Community Quality-of-Life and Well-Being ((CQLWB))

  • 539 Accesses

Abstract

In recent years, policy-makers have taken steps towards acknowledging the importance of mental states when appraising citizens’ wellbeing on the one side and the urgent challenge of shifting towards a more ecological society on the other. Previous work has established an encouraging positive link between these two seemingly unrelated notions, subjective wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour. This chapter offers an overview of the progress made to date and underlines that both subjective wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour can be structured according to different dimensions that interact in various ways. In this chapter, we empirically investigate some dimensions of both subjective wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour that have been overlooked so far. To do so, we use newly available data collected by the French National Statistical Institute and study seven dimensions of subjective wellbeing as well as attributions of political responsibility and prioritisation about green policies. In doing so, we move beyond the often unidimensional paradigm which associates subjective wellbeing with life satisfaction and pro-environmental behaviour with consumption. Our multidimensional approach offers new insights into which dimension of subjective wellbeing is most predictive of which pro-environmental behaviour and how happy and unhappy citizens have different attitudes about environmental policies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    It should be noted that, in this line of argument, we adopt the perspective of policy targeted at an average person living in a developed country. There can be substantial returns to subjective wellbeing from private, tangible consumption in less developed countries, or for population groups at the lower end of the income distribution in developed countries, for whom basic needs are not or just met. The relationship between subjective wellbeing and private consumption, or economic growth more generally, is hence context-dependent. Importantly, a focus on subjective wellbeing in policy-making does not run counter to the notion of economic growth; it merely reshuffles policy priorities depending on development levels. For a complete treatise of subjective wellbeing in policy-making, see Frijters & Krekel (2021).

  2. 2.

    Data are publicly available upon request to the French Data Archive for Social Science. The files we used for our analysis are: lil-1309, lil-1373 lil-1176, and lil-1253.

  3. 3.

    Because of space constraints, estimates associated with gender and education level are not displayed in the table.

  4. 4.

    Official estimates by the French governments are published here: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/pollution-lair-origines-situation-et-impacts.

References

  • Ambrey, C., & Fleming, C. (2011). Valuing scenic amenity using life satisfaction data. Ecological Economics, 72, 106–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ambrey, C., Fleming, C., & Chan, A. C. (2014). Estimating the cost of air pollution in South East Queensland: An application of the life satisfaction non-market valuation approach. Ecological Economics, 97, 172–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrade, E., & Ariely, D. (2009). The enduring impact of transient emotions on decision making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109(1), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreoni, J. (1990). Impure altruism and donations to public goods: A theory of warm glow giving. Economic Journal, 100(401), 464–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bamberg, S., & Möser, G. (2007). Twenty years after Hines, Hungerford, and Tomera: A new meta-analysis of psycho-social determinants of pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(1), 14–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertram, C., Goebel, J., Krekel, C., & Rehdanz, K. (in press). Urban land use fragmentation and human wellbeing. Land Economics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertram, C., & Rehdanz, K. (2015). The role of urban green space for human well-being. Ecological Economics, 120, 139–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binder, M., & Blankenberg, A. K. (2017). Green lifestyles and subjective well-being: More about self-image than actual behavior? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 137, 304–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binder, M., Blankenberg, A. K., & Guardiola, J. (2020). Does it have to be a sacrifice? Different notions of the good life, pro-environmental behavior and their heterogeneous impact on well-being. Ecological Economics, 167, 106448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bissing-Olson, M., Fielding, K., & Iyer, A. (2016). Experiences of pride, not guilt, predict pro-environmental behavior when pro-environmental descriptive norms are more positive. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 145–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, T., Gardner, G., Gilligan, J., Stern, P., & Vandenbergh, M. (2009). Household actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissions. PNAS, 106(44), 18452–18456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, P., & Metcalfe, R. (2012). Measuring subjective wellbeing: Recommendations on measures for use by national governments. Journal of Social Policy, 41(2), 409–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drouvelis, M., & Grosskopf, B. (2016). The effects of induced emotions on pro-social behaviour. Journal of Public Economics, 134, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, S., Akay, A., Brereton, F., Cuñado, J. C., Martinsson, P., Moro, M., & Nigal, T. (2013). Life satisfaction and air quality in Europe. Ecological Economics, 88, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frijters, P., Clark, A., Krekel, C., & Layard, R. (2020). A happy choice: Wellbeing as the goal of government. Behavioural Public Policy, 4(2), 126–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frijters, P., & Krekel, C. (2021). A handbook for wellbeing policy-making: History, theory, measurement, implementation, and examples. Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gilovich, T. (2008). How we know what isn’t so. Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibanez, L., Moureau, N., & Roussel, S. (2017). How do incidental emotions impact pro-environmental behavior? Evidence from the dictator game. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 66, 150–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ifcher, J., & Zarghamee, H. (2011). Happiness and time preference: The effect of positive affect in a random-assignment experiment. American Economic Review, 101(7), 3109–3129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaida, N., & Kaida, K. (2015). Facilitating pro-environmental behavior: The role of pessimism and anthropocentric environmental values. Social Indicators Research, 126, 1243–1260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaida, N., & Kaida, K. (2016). Pro-environmental behavior correlates with present and future subjective well-being. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 18(1), 111–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopmann, A., & Rehdanz, K. (2013). A human well-being approach for assessing the value of natural land areas. Ecological Economics, 93, 20–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krekel, C., Kolbe, J., & WĂĽstemann, H. (2016). The greener, the happier? The effect of urban land use on residential well-being. Ecological Economics, 121, 117–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krekel, C., Rechlitz, J., Rode, J., & Zerrahn, A. (2020). Quantifying the externalities of renewable energy plants using wellbeing data: The case of biogas (Discussion paper No. 1738). Centre for Economic Performance (CEP). http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1738.pdf

  • Krekel, C., & Zerrahn, A. (2017). Does the presence of wind turbines have negative externalities for people in their surroundings? Evidence from well-being data. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 82, 221–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laffan, K. (2020). Green with satisfaction: The relationship between pro-environmental behaviours and subjective wellbeing. In D. Maddison, K. Rehdanz, & H. Welsch (Eds.), Handbook on wellbeing, happiness and the environment (pp. 329–348). Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • LancĂ©e, S., Veenhoven, R., & Burger, M. (2017). Mood during commute in the Netherlands: What way of travel feels best for what kind of people? Transportation Research Part a: Policy and Practice, 104, 195–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lange, F., & Dewitte, S. (2020). Positive affect and pro-environmental behavior: A preregistered experiment. Journal of Economic Psychology, 80, 102291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, J., Li, Y., & Weber, E. (2012). The financial costs of sadness. Psychological Science, 24(1), 72–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, A. (2012). Valuing public goods using happiness data: The case of air quality. Journal of Public Economics, 96(9–10), 869–880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lykken, D., & Tellegen, A. (1996). Happiness is a stochastic phenomenon. Psychological Science, 7(3), 186–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, L., Witte, M., Hunt, A., Richardson, M., Pahl, S., & Burt, J. (2020). Nature contact, nature connectedness and associations with health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 68, 101389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pörtner, H. O., Roberts, D., Skea, J., Shukla, P., Pirani, A., Moufouma-Okia, W., PĂ©an, C., Pidcock, R., Connors, S., Matthews, J., Chen, Y., Zhou, X., Gomis, M., Lonnoy, E., Maycock, T., Tignor, M., & Waterfield, T. (2019). Global warming of 1.5°C: An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty (Technical report). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Neve, J. E. D., Clark, A., Krekel, C., Layard, R., & O’Donnell, G. (2020). Taking a wellbeing years approach to policy choice. BMJ, 371, m3853.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisbet, E., & Zelenski, J. (2011). Underestimating nearby nature: Affective forecasting errors obscure the happy path to sustainability. Psychological Science, 22(9), 1101–1106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nisbet, E., Zelenski, J., & Murphy, S. (2011). Happiness is in our nature: Exploring nature relatedness as a contributor to subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 303–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell, G., Deaton, A., Durand, M., Halpern, D., & Layard, R. (2020). Wellbeing and policy (Technical report). Legatum Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsson, L., Gärling, T., Ettema, D., Friman, M., & Fujii, S. (2012). Happiness and satisfaction with work commute. Social Indicators Research, 111, 255–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onwezen, M., Antonides, G., & Bartels, J. (2013). The Norm Activation Model: An exploration of the functions of anticipated pride and guilt in pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Economic Psychology, 39, 141–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prati, G., Albanesi, C., & Pietrantoni, L. (2017). Social well-being and pro-environmental behavior. Human Ecology Review, 23(1), 123–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pritchard, A., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D., & McEwan, K. (2020). The relationship between nature connectedness and eudaimonic well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21, 1145–1167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyone, J., & Isen, A. (2018). Positive affect, intertemporal choice, and levels of thinking: Increasing consumers’ willingness to wait. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(3), 532–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rees, J., Klug, S., & Bamberg, S. (2015). Guilty conscience: Motivating pro-environmental behavior by inducing negative moral emotions. Climate Change, 130, 439–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rehdanz, K., & Maddison, D. (2008). Local environmental quality and life-satisfaction in Germany. Ecological Economics, 64(4), 787–797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riepl, K., Mussel, P., Osinsky, R., & Hewig, R. (2016). Influences of state and trait affect on behavior, feedback-related negativity, and P3b in the ultimatum game. PLOS ONE, 11(1), e0146358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, M. T., Aknin, L. B., Axsen, J., & Shwom, R. L. (2018). Unpacking the relationships between pro-environmental behavior, life satisfaction, and perceived ecological threat. Ecological Economics, 143, 130–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, C., Zaval, L., Weber, E., & Markowitz, E. (2017). The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making. PLOS ONE, 12(11), e0188781. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29190758/

  • Stiglitz, J., Sen, A., & Fitoussi, J. P. (2009). Report by the commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress (Technical report). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/8131721/8131772/Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi-Commission-report.pdf

  • Taufik, D., Bolderdijk, J., & Steg, L. (2015). Acting green elicits a literal warm glow. Climate Change, 5, 37–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiedens, L., & Linton, S. (2001). Judgment under emotional certainty and uncertainty: The effects of specific emotions on information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(6), 973–988.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Praag, B., & Baarsma, B. (2005). Using happiness surveys to value intangibles: The case of airport noise. Economic Journal, 115(500), 224–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venhoeven, L., Bolderdijk, J., & Steg, L. (2013). Explaining the paradox: How pro-environmental behaviour can both thwart and foster well-being. Sustainability, 5, 1372–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Möllendorff, C., & Welsch, H. (2017). Measuring renewable energy externalities: Evidence from subjective well-being data. Land Economics, 93(1), 109–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, E., & Kang, N. (2018). Does life satisfaction matter for pro-environmental behavior? Empirical evidence from China General Social Survey. Quality & Quantity, 53, 449–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welsch, H., Binder, M., & Blankenberg, A. K. (2021). Green behavior, green self-image, and subjective well-being: Separating affective and cognitive relationships. Ecological Economics, 179, 106854.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welsch, H., & Khling, J. (2010). Pro-environmental behavior and rational consumer choice: Evidence from surveys of life satisfaction. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31(3), 405–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welsch, H., & Khling, J. (2011). Are pro-environmental consumption choices utility maximizing? Evidence from subjective well-being data. Ecological Economics, 72, 75–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welsch, H., & Khling, J. (2018). How green self image is related to subjective well-being: Pro-environmental values as a social norm. Ecological Economics, 149, 105–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitburn, J., Linklater, W., & Milfont, T. (2018). Exposure to urban nature and tree planting are related to pro-environmental behavior via connection to nature, the use of nature for psychological restoration, and environmental attitudes. Environment and Behavior, 51(7), 787–810.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wild, K., & Woodward, A. (2019). Why are cyclists the happiest commuters? Health, pleasure and the e-bike. Journal of Transport & Health, 14, 100569.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics (LSE), London, UK

    Christian Krekel

  2. Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), LSE, London, UK

    Christian Krekel

  3. Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Alberto Prati

  4. Department of Economics, Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France

    Alberto Prati

Authors
  1. Christian Krekel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alberto Prati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alberto Prati .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Scott Cloutier

  2. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Sara El-Sayed

  3. College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Allison Ross

  4. Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Melanie Weaver

Appendix

Appendix

See Appendix Tables 11.9 and 11.10.

Table 11.9 Wellbeing indicators
Full size table
Table 11.10 Pro-environmental behaviours
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Krekel, C., Prati, A. (2022). Linking Subjective Wellbeing and Pro-environmental Behaviour: A Multidimensional Approach. In: Cloutier, S., El-Sayed, S., Ross, A., Weaver, M. (eds) Linking Sustainability and Happiness. Community Quality-of-Life and Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89559-4_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89559-4_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-89558-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-89559-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation