Travel the world to feel part of it? The relations between long-term stays abroad, global identity, and nature connectedness

Abstract

Global identity (i.e., an identification with and concern for all humanity) and nature connectedness are positively related to people’s pro-environmental attitudes and behavior. Therefore, ways to develop these traits are sought after. There are preliminary indications that stays abroad may provide opportunities to do so. In the current study, we thus examined the potential effects of long-term stays abroad on global identity and nature connectedness. Furthermore, we investigated how different experiences made abroad are related to travelers’ global identity. We conducted an online survey in three participant groups (N = 292): An experienced group which had returned from a long-term stay abroad, a planning group which intended but had not yet experienced such a stay, and a home group which had neither experienced nor planned a long-term stay abroad. We found higher levels of global self-investment (i.e., one dimension of global identity reflecting concern for all humanity) for the experienced group compared to the home group but not the planning group. The planning group did not differ regarding global identity from the home group. Moreover, we found that global identity was positively related to the amount of contact with international people met abroad, but to almost no other of the examined cultural experiences made. The three groups did not differ regarding nature connectedness. In sum, long-term stays abroad and positive international experiences with people appear to be associated with global self-investment. However, a causal effect of long-term stays cannot be derived unambiguously, and future research should use longitudinal designs.