The role of values, environmental risk perception, awareness of consequences, and willingness to assume responsibility for environmentally-friendly behaviour: the Lithuanian case

In this study, the value-belief-norm theory was applied. Analysing the impact of values on environmentally-friendly behaviour, goal framing theory was taken into consideration. According to the Lithuanian representative survey conducted in 2011 and using factor analysis, two different value orientations were identified: self-transcendence and self-enhancement. The results showed that people with stronger self-transcendence value orientation, which are guided by normative goals, are more perceptive of environmental problems and are more inclined to assume responsibility and behave in a more environmentally-friendly way. After applying the regression analysis to the data, it was found that the most important direct determinants of environmental behaviour were self-transcendence value orientation, environmental problem perception, and the assumption of responsibility. However, a gap between awareness of behavioural consequences and real behaviour was observed. These findings could be important for policy implications when seeking to promote behaviour that is more environmentally-friendly. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.