Knowledge, perceived potential and trust as determinants of low- and high-impact pro-environmental behaviours

Changes in household consumption patterns to low-carbon alternatives are needed to decrease global greenhouse gas emissions. Accurate perceptions about the mitigation potential of different behaviours can help consumers to reduce their emissions. With a sample of N = 547 Swiss participants, we analysed to what extent participants correctly judged the mitigation potential of different behaviours. We found that the mitigation potential of certain behaviours, such as switching to a sustainable diet, was underestimated, while the mitigation potential of other behaviours, such as installing efficient light bulbs, was overestimated. Participants correctly judged reducing car use and avoiding a transatlantic flight to have a strong mitigation potential. By differentiating between low-and high-impact behaviours, we found that higher levels of objective knowledge positively predicted intentions to engage in high-impact mitigation behaviours and negatively predicted intentions to engage in low-impact mitigation behaviours, while higher perceived potential, higher levels of trust in climate scientists and less perceived effort predicted the willingness to engage in both low-and high-impact mitigation behaviours. We conclude with recommendations on how the uptake of high-impact behaviours can be fostered.

Automated summary

Changes in household consumption patterns to low-carbon alternatives are necessary to decrease global greenhouse gas emissions. Accurate perceptions about the mitigation potential of different behaviors can help consumers reduce their emissions. This study found that the mitigation potential of certain behaviors was underestimated while the potential of others was overestimated.