Attitude towards littering as a mediator of the relationship between personality attributes and responsible environmental behavior.

The study tested whether attitude towards littering mediates the relationship between personality attributes (altruism and locus of control) and responsible environmental behavior (REB) among some residents of Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Using multistage sampling technique, measures of each construct were administered to 1360 participants. Results reveal significant independent and joint influence of personality attributes on attitude towards littering and responsible environmental behavior, respectively. Attitude towards littering also mediates the relationship between personality characteristics and REB. These findings imply that individuals who possess certain desirable personality characteristics and who have unfavorable attitude towards littering have more tendencies to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Therefore, stakeholders who have waste management as their priority should incorporate this information when guidelines for public education and litter prevention programs are being developed. It is suggested that psychologists should be involved in designing of litter prevention strategies. This will ensure the inclusion of behavioral issues in such strategies. An integrated approach to litter prevention that combines empowerment, cognitive, social, and technical solutions is recommended as the most effective tool of tackling the litter problem among residents of Ibadan metropolis.

[1]  S. Schwartz.  Normative Influences on Altruism , 1977 .

[2]  G. Andrews,et al.  A scale to measure locus of control of behaviour. , 1984, The British journal of medical psychology.

[3]  A. Kollmuss,et al.  Mind the Gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? , 2002 .

[4]  Osamu I. Wata.  Attitudinal and behavioral correlates of voluntary simplicity lifestyles , 1997 .

[5]  Jane Mansbridge,et al.  Beyond self-interest , 1991 .

[6]  J. Corbett.  Altruism, Self-Interest, and the Reasonable Person Model of Environmentally Responsible Behavior , 2005 .

[7]  N. Newhouse,et al.  Implications of Attitude and Behavior Research for Environmental Conservation , 1990 .

[8]  D. C. Howell.  Statistical Methods for Psychology , 1987 .

[9]  P. Hallin.  Environmental Concern and Environmental Behavior in Foley, a Small Town in Minnesota , 1995 .

[10]  Albert Mehrabian,et al.  Effects of Furniture Arrangement, Props, and Personality on Social Interaction. , 1971 .

[11]  Blair T. Johnson,et al.  The Handbook of Attitudes , 2005 .

[12]  B. B. Jensen,et al.  Knowledge, Action and Pro-environmental Behaviour , 2002 .

[13]  B. Steel,et al.  Thinking Globally and Acting Locally?: Environmental Attitudes, Behaviour and Activism , 1996 .

[14]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[15]  Gunnar Grendstad,et al.  Correlates of Environmental Behaviors , 2001 .

[16]  Shalom H. Schwartz,et al.  WORDS, DEEDS, AND THE PERCEPTION OF CONSEQUENCES AND RESPONSIBILITY IN ACTION SITUATIONS ' , 1968 .

[17]  Rex B. Kline,et al.  Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling , 1998 .

[18]  Environmental Attitude as a Mediator of the Relationship between Self-concept, Environmental Self-Efficacy and Responsible Environmental Behaviour among Residents of High Density Areas in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria , 2010 .

[19]  B. Tabachnick,et al.  Using Multivariate Statistics , 1983 .

[20]  Daniel J. Sivek,et al.  Predictors of Responsible Behavior in Members of Three Wisconsin Conservation Organizations , 1990 .

[21]  A. Dobson.  Biodiversity and human health. , 1995, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[22]  R. Scholz,et al.  A Two-Step Informational Strategy for Reducing Littering Behavior in a Cinema , 2003 .

[23]  Issam A Al-Khatib,et al.  Influence of socio-economic factors on street litter generation in the Middle East: effects of education level, age, and type of residence , 2007, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[24]  Philip Kitcher,et al.  VARIETIES OF ALTRUISM , 2010, Economics and Philosophy.

[25]  D. McKenzie‐Mohr,et al.  Promoting Sustainable Behavior : An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing , 2000 .

[26]  D. Funder.  The Personality Puzzle , 1996 .

[27]  Rajiv Vaidyanathan,et al.  Dictionary of statistics and methodology : #a #nontechnical guide for the social sciences , 1994 .

[28]  Forces Shaping the Physical Environment of Cities in the Developing Countries: The Ibadan Case , 1973 .

[29]  Carmen Tanner,et al.  CONSTRAINTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOUR , 1999 .

[30]  J. Rotter.  Some Problems and Misconceptions Related to the Construct of Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement , 1975 .

[31]  S. Chaiken,et al.  The psychology of attitudes. , 1993 .

[32]  P. Stern,et al.  Social Structural and Social Psychological Bases of Environmental Concern , 1998 .

[33]  O. Iwata.  Attitudinal Determinants of Environmentally Responsible Behavior , 2001 .

[34]  Issam A Al-Khatib,et al.  Enhanced solid waste management by understanding the effects of gender, income, marital status, and religious convictions on attitudes and practices related to street littering in Nablus - Palestinian territory. , 2009, Waste management.

[35]  Alan R. Graefe,et al.  Testing a Conceptual Framework of Responsible Environmental Behavior , 1997 .

[36]  Stuart Oskamp,et al.  Who recycles and when? A review of personal and situational factors , 1995 .

[37]  J. M. Hines,et al.  Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis. , 1987 .

[38]  O. Ojedokun,et al.  Psycho-sociocultural Analysis of Attitude towards Littering in a Nigerian Urban City , 2011 .

[39]  Andrew F. Siegel,et al.  Practical Business Statistics , 1994 .

[40]  Y. Hwang,et al.  Examining the Causal Relationships Among Selected Antecedents of Responsible Environmental Behavior , 2000 .

[41]  P. Wesley Schultz,et al.  Values and Proenvironmental Behavior , 1998 .

[42]  M. Cook.  Experiments on Orientation and Proxemics , 1970 .

[43]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  Estimating the effects of social interventions , 1981 .

[44]  Kent L. Granzin,et al.  Characterizing Participants in Activities Protecting the Environment: A Focus on Donating, Recycling, and Conservation Behaviors , 1991 .

[45]  A. Mabogunje.  The Growth of Residential Districts in Ibadan , 1962 .

[46]  Craig A. Mertler,et al.  Advanced and multivariate statistical methods: Practical application and interpretation: Sixth edition , 2001 .

[47]  Daniel Scott,et al.  Equal Opportunity, Unequal Results , 1999 .

[48]  R. Dunlap,et al.  The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: A Review of Hypotheses, Explanations and Empirical Evidence , 1980 .