Differences in pro-environmental attitudes, reflected in perceptions and concerns about climate change (CC), may be influenced by cultural factors such as collectivistic and individualistic values. Collectivism tends to promote pro-environmental attitudes because it emphasises community goals, like environmental protection, over individual self-interest. Adversely, individualistic cultures prioritise personal interests, which can lead to less concern for collective goods, such as the environment. According to the New Environmental Paradigm, worldviews surrounding human-nature relationships can be categorised as anthropocentric or ecocentric. We hypothesised that collectivistic values and ecocentrism would positively predict attitudes toward climate change, while individualism and anthropocentrism negatively. The total sample consisted of N = 1268 participants (Belarus N = 207, Lithuania N = 225, Poland N = 304; UAE N = 251, Uzbekistan N = 281). Approximately 30% of the participants were male, with a mean age of around 23. We conducted linear regression analyses in the total sample and national sub-samples. Predictors comprised collectivistic and individualistic values (self-indulgence and self-realisation), anthropocentrism, ecocentrism and ecocentrism-equal-rights. Dependent variables were cognitive, affective and behavioural components of CC attitudes. The results from the total sample didn't fully support our expectations regarding collectivism and only partially supported our hypothesis concerning individualism. As expected, both forms of ecocentrism significantly predicted most of the dependent variables, indicating pro-environmental attitudes, while anthropocentrism predicted CC attitudes negatively. Regression analyses performed across countries revealed different patterns, demonstrating national specificities. Results contribute to the worldwide discussion on the role of collectivism and individualism in attitudes toward the environment.
Book of Abstracts [Unofficial – Accepted Presentation, Abstract Submission Ongoing]
Attitudes Toward Climate Change in Three Cultural Zones (Central Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East) and the Role of Cultural Values and Views on Human–Nature Relation