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• Tapia-Fonllem, C
• Corral-Verdugo, V
• Fraijo-Sing, B
• Durón-Ramos, MFernanda
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• Tapia-Fonllem, C
• Corral-Verdugo, V
• Fraijo-Sing, B
• Durón-Ramos, MFernanda
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• Tapia-Fonllem, C
• Corral-Verdugo, V
• Fraijo-Sing, B
• Durón-Ramos, MFernanda

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Sustainability 2013, 5(2), 711-723; doi:10.3390/su5020711

Article

Assessing Sustainable Behavior and its Correlates: A Measure of Pro-Ecological, Frugal, Altruistic and Equitable Actions

César Tapia-Fonllem* , Victor Corral-Verdugo, Blanca Fraijo-Sing and Maria Fernanda Durón-Ramos

Department of Psychology, University of Sonora at Hermosillo, Mexico, Blvd. Luis Encinas y Rosales, S/N, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000, Mexico

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 12 December 2012; in revised form: 18 January 2013 / Accepted: 1 February 2013 / Published: 15 February 2013

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological and Behavioral Aspects of Sustainability)

Download PDF Full-Text [525 KB, uploaded 15 February 2013 09:50 CET]

Abstract: Measures of sustainable behavior (SB) usually include the self-report of activities aimed at the conservation of the natural environment. The sustainability notion explicitly incorporates both the satisfaction of human needs and the need of conserving the natural environment. Yet, the assessment of sustainable behaviors rarely considers the protection of the social environment as situation to investigate. In this paper, we propose the use of an instrument assessing SB, which includes the report of pro-ecological and frugal actions in addition to altruistic and equitable behaviors. The responses provided by 807 Mexican undergraduates to a questionnaire investigating those four instances of SB were processed within a structural equation model. Emotional (indignation due to environmental destruction, affinity towards diversity, happiness) and rational (intention to act) factors assumedly linked to sustainable behavior were also investigated. Significant interrelations among pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic and equitable behaviors resulted, suggesting the presence of a higher-order-factor that we identified as SB. This factor, in turn, significantly correlated with the rest of the investigated pro-environmental factors.

Keywords: sustainable behavior; pro-ecological actions; frugality; altruism; equity; happiness

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