Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102892
Adéla Plechatá , Guido Makransky , Robert Böhm
Despite the urgent need for widespread climate action, current communication approaches have a limited impact, especially on less engaged audiences. To address this issue, we examined the effectiveness of AI-driven climate communication in influencing pro-environmental intentions and intentions to adapt to climate change (Study 1; laboratory setting, N = 178), as well as participants’ likelihood of engaging with the communication material in the first place (Study 2; online setting, N = 295). In Study 1, both AI-driven and textual climate communication formats increased pro-environmental and adaptation intentions from pre- to post-intervention. Importantly, the effectiveness of the different communication formats depended on audience characteristics: the textual communication was more effective for highly climate-curious participants, while the AI-driven communication was more effective for individuals less curious about climate change. Study 2 further showed that AI-driven climate communication was perceived as more engaging than a comprehensive textual scientific climate report. This was particularly pronounced for participants with lower climate change curiosity and threat beliefs. We conclude that more experiential communication formats like AI-driven climate communication may help engage and impact previously unengaged audiences.
{"title":"Engaging the unengaged: Differential effects of AI-driven climate communication across audiences","authors":"Adéla Plechatá , Guido Makransky , Robert Böhm","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102892","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102892","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the urgent need for widespread climate action, current communication approaches have a limited impact, especially on less engaged audiences. To address this issue, we examined the effectiveness of AI-driven climate communication in influencing pro-environmental intentions and intentions to adapt to climate change (Study 1; laboratory setting, <em>N</em> = 178), as well as participants’ likelihood of engaging with the communication material in the first place (Study 2; online setting, <em>N</em> = 295). In Study 1, both AI-driven and textual climate communication formats increased pro-environmental and adaptation intentions from pre- to post-intervention. Importantly, the effectiveness of the different communication formats depended on audience characteristics: the textual communication was more effective for highly climate-curious participants, while the AI-driven communication was more effective for individuals less curious about climate change. Study 2 further showed that AI-driven climate communication was perceived as more engaging than a comprehensive textual scientific climate report. This was particularly pronounced for participants with lower climate change curiosity and threat beliefs. We conclude that more experiential communication formats like AI-driven climate communication may help engage and impact previously unengaged audiences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102892"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102889
Janie Corley , Alison Pattie , Sarah E. Harris , Ian J. Deary , Simon R. Cox
Gardening is a common leisure activity among older adults, yet its potential to support healthy aging remains underexplored, particularly in longitudinal contexts and across multiple aging domains. This study investigated whether gardening frequency was associated with psychological, physical, and biological aging markers, as well as mortality, in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (LBC1921). Gardening frequency was assessed via questionnaire at a mean age of 79 years (baseline: 1999–2001) in 475 participants. Aging markers were measured at 79, 83, 87, and 90 years. Psychological markers (quality of life, psychological wellbeing) were self-reported; physical function markers (lung function, gait speed, grip strength, functional ability) were objectively assessed; and biological markers (telomere length, DNA methylation-based PhenoAge) were blood-derived. Survival was tracked using 25-year mortality linkage data. Analyses included linear regression, growth curve modeling, and Cox proportional hazards, adjusted for individual- and neighbourhood-level covariates. Of the sample, 207 gardened frequently, 78 sometimes, and 190 never or rarely. At baseline (age 79), higher gardening frequency was associated with better psychological wellbeing, stronger physical function, and longer telomeres. Longitudinally, more frequent gardening predicted slower declines in gait speed and telomere attrition from age 79 to 90. Frequent gardeners had a 22 % lower mortality risk (HR = 0.78, 95 % CI: 0.62–0.97) than those who never or rarely gardened. Associations were not substantially confounded by sociodemographic, lifestyle, or physical activity factors. Our results suggest that gardening may support wellbeing and longevity, with potential implications for aging in place for older adults.
{"title":"Gardening, healthy aging, and longevity: Longitudinal evidence from 25 years of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921","authors":"Janie Corley , Alison Pattie , Sarah E. Harris , Ian J. Deary , Simon R. Cox","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102889","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102889","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gardening is a common leisure activity among older adults, yet its potential to support healthy aging remains underexplored, particularly in longitudinal contexts and across multiple aging domains. This study investigated whether gardening frequency was associated with psychological, physical, and biological aging markers, as well as mortality, in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (LBC1921). Gardening frequency was assessed via questionnaire at a mean age of 79 years (baseline: 1999–2001) in 475 participants. Aging markers were measured at 79, 83, 87, and 90 years. Psychological markers (quality of life, psychological wellbeing) were self-reported; physical function markers (lung function, gait speed, grip strength, functional ability) were objectively assessed; and biological markers (telomere length, DNA methylation-based PhenoAge) were blood-derived. Survival was tracked using 25-year mortality linkage data. Analyses included linear regression, growth curve modeling, and Cox proportional hazards, adjusted for individual- and neighbourhood-level covariates. Of the sample, 207 gardened frequently, 78 sometimes, and 190 never or rarely. At baseline (age 79), higher gardening frequency was associated with better psychological wellbeing, stronger physical function, and longer telomeres. Longitudinally, more frequent gardening predicted slower declines in gait speed and telomere attrition from age 79 to 90. Frequent gardeners had a 22 % lower mortality risk (HR = 0.78, 95 % CI: 0.62–0.97) than those who never or rarely gardened. Associations were not substantially confounded by sociodemographic, lifestyle, or physical activity factors. Our results suggest that gardening may support wellbeing and longevity, with potential implications for aging in place for older adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102889"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Experiencing a lack of physical space—feeling cramped or crowded—is an increasingly common feature of urban life. This systematic review synthesizes over five decades of research on the psychological consequences of spatial restriction, integrating 97 empirical studies and more than 500 dependent measures across affective, behavioral, cognitive, social, environmental, and physiological domains. Overall, lack of space was found to produce predominantly negative outcomes, including heightened stress, discomfort, and avoidance behaviors, although positive or neutral effects occasionally emerged in contexts of shared identity and collective engagement. Methodological and conceptual biases appear to have reinforced the historical framing of crowding as inherently problematic, overlooking its potential affiliative or identity-enhancing dimensions. Variability in outcomes can be best understood through a socially embedded, multi-level model in which personal, social, and environmental processes are mutually constitutive. The review highlights the need for cross-cultural, theoretically integrated, and methodologically transparent research, and proposes a framework distinguishing physical from social crowding, acute from chronic exposure, and density from subjective experience.
{"title":"The psychological effects of lacking physical space: A systematic literature review","authors":"Rhea Haddad , Jean-Claude Croizet , Tiffany Morisseau , Guillaume Dezecache","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102888","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102888","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Experiencing a lack of physical space—feeling cramped or crowded—is an increasingly common feature of urban life. This systematic review synthesizes over five decades of research on the psychological consequences of spatial restriction, integrating 97 empirical studies and more than 500 dependent measures across affective, behavioral, cognitive, social, environmental, and physiological domains. Overall, lack of space was found to produce predominantly negative outcomes, including heightened stress, discomfort, and avoidance behaviors, although positive or neutral effects occasionally emerged in contexts of shared identity and collective engagement. Methodological and conceptual biases appear to have reinforced the historical framing of crowding as inherently problematic, overlooking its potential affiliative or identity-enhancing dimensions. Variability in outcomes can be best understood through a socially embedded, multi-level model in which personal, social, and environmental processes are mutually constitutive. The review highlights the need for cross-cultural, theoretically integrated, and methodologically transparent research, and proposes a framework distinguishing physical from social crowding, acute from chronic exposure, and density from subjective experience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102888"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102887
Shang-Ti Chen , Li Yi , Sicheng Wang , Chih-Hsiang Yang
Background
Research on the relationship between greenness and emotional well-being has often focused on between-person associations, paying only limited attention to real-time, within-person dynamics. This study addresses this gap by using the geographically explicit ecological momentary assessment (GEMA) methodology to assess the real-time, within-person impact of objective (i.e., normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI]) and subjective (i.e., perceived restorative environments; PRE) measures of environments, alongside outdoor leisure activities, on positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) among adults in Taiwan.
Methods
Our analytical sample included 160 adults in Taiwan (58.1 % female, aged 18–60, M = 22.09, SD = 5.54), who completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys measuring their PRE, outdoor leisure activities, PA, and NA 3 times daily for 7 days. As the participants answered the surveys, their smartphones automatically recorded their geolocation data, which were subsequently linked to 30 × 30 m NDVI data to derive a measure of ambient greenness exposure. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the between- and within-person associations of NDVI greenness, PRE, and outdoor leisure activities with affect, adjusting for covariates (i.e., age, sex, educational attainment, marital status, living arrangements, presence of chronic diseases, body mass index, smoking status, and alcohol consumption). The interaction between outdoor leisure and PRE was also tested to predict momentary affect.
Results
Participants submitted responses to 2935 EMA prompts (87.4 % response rate). Higher PRE and engagement in outdoor leisure were associated with higher PA and lower NA, whereas higher NDVI was unexpectedly linked to lower PA and higher NA. The PRE × outdoor leisure interaction did not reach statistical significance after accounting for random slopes (b = 0.12, p = .06), but the estimated effect followed the expected direction, suggesting that the inverse association between PRE and NA was somewhat weaker during leisure episodes compared with non-leisure moments.
Conclusion
PRE and outdoor leisure activities are associated with higher momentary PA and lower NA, but NDVI greenness is not. This suggests fostering individuals’ connections to and enhancing their experiences within green spaces may be important ways to maximize the emotional benefits of green spaces. Overall, our GEMA approach provides valuable insights into real-time associations between greenness exposure and well-being that can be applied to develop targeted environmental-based interventions for mental health promotion.
关于绿色与情绪幸福感之间关系的研究通常集中在人与人之间的联系上,而对实时的、个人内部的动态关注有限。本研究利用地理显式生态瞬间评估(GEMA)方法,评估台湾成年人的正面影响(PA)和负面影响(NA),客观(即归一化植被指数[NDVI])和主观(即感知的恢复环境;PRE)的实时、个人影响。方法选取160名台湾成年人作为分析对象,其中女性58.1%,年龄18-60岁,M = 22.09, SD = 5.54,每天3次,连续7天完成生态瞬间评价(EMA)调查,测量他们的PRE、户外休闲活动、PA和NA。当参与者回答调查时,他们的智能手机会自动记录他们的地理位置数据,这些数据随后与30 × 30米的NDVI数据相关联,从而得出环境绿色暴露的测量值。采用多层次模型检验NDVI绿度、PRE和户外休闲活动与影响之间的人际关系,调整协变量(即年龄、性别、受教育程度、婚姻状况、生活安排、慢性病的存在、体重指数、吸烟状况和饮酒)。户外休闲与PRE之间的交互作用也被用于预测瞬时影响。参与者提交了2935个EMA提示(87.4%的回复率)。较高的PRE和户外休闲参与与较高的PA和较低的NA相关,而较高的NDVI意外地与较低的PA和较高的NA相关。在考虑随机斜率(b = 0.12, p = .06)后,PRE与户外休闲的交互作用没有达到统计学意义(b = 0.12, p = .06),但估计的效果遵循预期的方向,表明PRE与NA在休闲时段的负相关关系比非休闲时段弱一些。结论pre和户外休闲活动与瞬时PA升高、瞬时NA降低相关,而NDVI绿度与瞬时PA升高无关。这表明培养个人与绿色空间的联系并增强他们在绿色空间中的体验可能是最大化绿色空间情感收益的重要方法。总的来说,我们的GEMA方法为绿色暴露和幸福感之间的实时关联提供了有价值的见解,可用于开发有针对性的基于环境的心理健康促进干预措施。
{"title":"Integrating perceived environmental quality with objective greenness: A GEMA study of adults’ emotional well-being in rural settings","authors":"Shang-Ti Chen , Li Yi , Sicheng Wang , Chih-Hsiang Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102887","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102887","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Research on the relationship between greenness and emotional well-being has often focused on between-person associations, paying only limited attention to real-time, within-person dynamics. This study addresses this gap by using the geographically explicit ecological momentary assessment (GEMA) methodology to assess the real-time, within-person impact of objective (i.e., normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI]) and subjective (i.e., perceived restorative environments; PRE) measures of environments, alongside outdoor leisure activities, on positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) among adults in Taiwan.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Our analytical sample included 160 adults in Taiwan (58.1 % female, aged 18–60, <em>M</em> = 22.09, <em>SD</em> = 5.54), who completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys measuring their PRE, outdoor leisure activities, PA, and NA 3 times daily for 7 days. As the participants answered the surveys, their smartphones automatically recorded their geolocation data, which were subsequently linked to 30 × 30 m NDVI data to derive a measure of ambient greenness exposure. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the between- and within-person associations of NDVI greenness, PRE, and outdoor leisure activities with affect, adjusting for covariates (i.e., age, sex, educational attainment, marital status, living arrangements, presence of chronic diseases, body mass index, smoking status, and alcohol consumption). The interaction between outdoor leisure and PRE was also tested to predict momentary affect.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants submitted responses to 2935 EMA prompts (87.4 % response rate). Higher PRE and engagement in outdoor leisure were associated with higher PA and lower NA, whereas higher NDVI was unexpectedly linked to lower PA and higher NA. The PRE × outdoor leisure interaction did not reach statistical significance after accounting for random slopes (<em>b</em> = 0.12, <em>p</em> = .06), but the estimated effect followed the expected direction, suggesting that the inverse association between PRE and NA was somewhat weaker during leisure episodes compared with non-leisure moments.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>PRE and outdoor leisure activities are associated with higher momentary PA and lower NA, but NDVI greenness is not. This suggests fostering individuals’ connections to and enhancing their experiences within green spaces may be important ways to maximize the emotional benefits of green spaces. Overall, our GEMA approach provides valuable insights into real-time associations between greenness exposure and well-being that can be applied to develop targeted environmental-based interventions for mental health promotion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102887"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102885
Nicolas de Oliveira Cardoso , Thaiane Moreira de Oliveira , Luisa Massarani , Ketlin da Rosa Tagliapietra , Ione Mendes , Vanessa Fagundes , Wagner de Lara Machado
Climate change misinformation poses a growing threat to environmental engagement, particularly in politically polarized contexts. This study aimed to identify and compare climate belief profiles among Brazilian adults based on their sociodemographic characteristics and susceptibility to misinformation. Using cluster analysis on data from a nationally diverse sample (n = 1503), we uncovered two distinct climate belief profiles. One cluster reflected high acceptance of climate science, while the other was characterized by skepticism, conspiratorial thinking, and institutional distrust. These clusters significantly differed across all dimensions of the Climate Change Belief Scale (CCBS), with political orientation emerging as the strongest differentiator. However, subgroup analyses of politically unaffiliated participants reveal that psychological and value-based factors further differentiate climate belief profiles, highlighting meaningful heterogeneity beyond self-reported political preference. Our findings indicate that climate skepticism is less about scientific illiteracy and more deeply embedded in ideological worldviews. Variables such as education and religiosity played a secondary role, while age, ethnicity, marital status, geographic region, and occupational status did not significantly differentiate between profiles. Drawing on value-based frameworks, we discuss how skepticism aligns with identity-protective cognition and low endorsement of self-transcendent values such as universalism. By employing a multidimensional scale adapted to the Brazilian context, this study captures culturally specific misinformation narratives and institutional distrust patterns in the Global South. These insights emphasize the need for climate communication strategies that move beyond factual correction, focusing instead on moral, emotional, and cultural foundations of belief. Our findings provide concrete guidance for culturally attuned interventions targeting ideological and identity-based skepticism. This study contributes to advancing more effective approaches to counter misinformation in politically polarized, culturally diverse contexts.
{"title":"Mapping climate belief profiles in Brazil: A cluster analysis of polarization and mistrust","authors":"Nicolas de Oliveira Cardoso , Thaiane Moreira de Oliveira , Luisa Massarani , Ketlin da Rosa Tagliapietra , Ione Mendes , Vanessa Fagundes , Wagner de Lara Machado","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102885","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102885","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Climate change</em> misinformation poses a growing threat to environmental engagement, particularly in politically polarized contexts. This study aimed to identify and compare climate belief profiles among Brazilian adults based on their sociodemographic characteristics and susceptibility to misinformation. Using cluster analysis on data from a nationally diverse sample (<em>n</em> = 1503), we uncovered two distinct climate belief profiles. One cluster reflected high acceptance of climate science, while the other was characterized by skepticism, conspiratorial thinking, and institutional distrust. These clusters significantly differed across all dimensions of the Climate Change Belief Scale (CCBS), with political orientation emerging as the strongest differentiator. However, subgroup analyses of politically unaffiliated participants reveal that psychological and value-based factors further differentiate climate belief profiles, highlighting meaningful heterogeneity beyond self-reported political preference. Our findings indicate that climate skepticism is less about scientific illiteracy and more deeply embedded in ideological worldviews. Variables such as education and religiosity played a secondary role, while age, ethnicity, marital status, geographic region, and occupational status did not significantly differentiate between profiles. Drawing on value-based frameworks, we discuss how skepticism aligns with identity-protective cognition and low endorsement of self-transcendent values such as universalism. By employing a multidimensional scale adapted to the Brazilian context, this study captures culturally specific misinformation narratives and institutional distrust patterns in the Global South. These insights emphasize the need for climate communication strategies that move beyond factual correction, focusing instead on moral, emotional, and cultural foundations of belief. Our findings provide concrete guidance for culturally attuned interventions targeting ideological and identity-based skepticism. This study contributes to advancing more effective approaches to counter misinformation in politically polarized, culturally diverse contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102885"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102883
Marlène Guillon , Mathieu Bourret Soto
Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense, making it essential to examine individual protective strategies against their negative health effects. We conducted a survey (N = 1,515) in summer 2022 to investigate the prevalence of eight heat-adaptive behaviors (HABs) and the factors associated with their adoption. The population implemented the eight HABs heterogeneously, with closing shutters, blinds, or curtains and going to a cooler or air-conditioned place being the most and least adopted HABs, respectively. Using the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), we found that greater perceived efficacy and descriptive norms were associated with higher adoption of HABs, as measured by an adaptation index, while greater perceived barriers led to lower adaptation. Conversely, demographic characteristics and self-reported health did not seem to be important predictors of adaptation. Our disaggregated analysis indicated that sociodemographic variables, such as gender or income, and threat perception variables exerted a heterogeneous impact on the eight HABs. Our study identified key drivers of HAB adoption that could help health authorities shape their communication campaigns to improve the population's adaptation to heatwaves.
{"title":"Prevalence and factors associated with the adoption of heat-adaptive behaviors among residents of a French southern region","authors":"Marlène Guillon , Mathieu Bourret Soto","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102883","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102883","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense, making it essential to examine individual protective strategies against their negative health effects. We conducted a survey (N = 1,515) in summer 2022 to investigate the prevalence of eight heat-adaptive behaviors (HABs) and the factors associated with their adoption. The population implemented the eight HABs heterogeneously, with closing shutters, blinds, or curtains and going to a cooler or air-conditioned place being the most and least adopted HABs, respectively. Using the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), we found that greater perceived efficacy and descriptive norms were associated with higher adoption of HABs, as measured by an adaptation index, while greater perceived barriers led to lower adaptation. Conversely, demographic characteristics and self-reported health did not seem to be important predictors of adaptation. Our disaggregated analysis indicated that sociodemographic variables, such as gender or income, and threat perception variables exerted a heterogeneous impact on the eight HABs. Our study identified key drivers of HAB adoption that could help health authorities shape their communication campaigns to improve the population's adaptation to heatwaves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102883"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102884
Yifei He, Janet Z. Yang
Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally. To better understand how to motivate recycle and reuse behaviors through Instagram posts about plastic waste, this study employs a survey experiment based on a sample of US adults (N = 1015). Results demonstrate that concerns about the environmental impact of plastic waste matter more than concerns about the health impact of plastic waste in influencing people's intention to recycle and reuse. Further, putting people in a mental state to care about knowing accurate facts about plastic waste leads them to read the Instagram posts more carefully, more so than priming them to care about their social image. These findings suggest that using accuracy cue leads to more careful reading of a persuasive message about plastic waste reduction, which increases risk perception and contributes to recycle and reuse intentions indirectly.
{"title":"From processing motivation to environmental behavioral intention","authors":"Yifei He, Janet Z. Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102884","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102884","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally. To better understand how to motivate recycle and reuse behaviors through Instagram posts about plastic waste, this study employs a survey experiment based on a sample of US adults (<em>N</em> = 1015). Results demonstrate that concerns about the environmental impact of plastic waste matter more than concerns about the health impact of plastic waste in influencing people's intention to recycle and reuse. Further, putting people in a mental state to care about knowing accurate facts about plastic waste leads them to read the Instagram posts more carefully, more so than priming them to care about their social image. These findings suggest that using accuracy cue leads to more careful reading of a persuasive message about plastic waste reduction, which increases risk perception and contributes to recycle and reuse intentions indirectly.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102884"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-09DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102880
Judith van de Wetering , Stathis Grapsas , Astrid Poorthuis , Sander Thomaes
Two preregistered randomized experiments (Study 1: N = 381, age 12–17, 47.5 % girls, 90 % Dutch; Study 2: N = 468, age 12–19, 52.8 % girls, 79.7 % Dutch) tested whether educational interventions to promote adolescents' sustainable behavior can be optimized by harnessing their peer status motive. Across studies, Bayesian informative hypothesis testing indicated strong support (PMPs 0.896 to 0.981, BFs 10.02 to 58.03) for the hypothesis that educational messaging promoted adolescents' sustainable dietary behavior and behavior intentions compared to unrelated messaging; that peer norm messaging amplified the motivational effect of education; and that dynamic (“more and more youth choose to eat less meat”) and static (“some youth choose to eat less meat”) norm messaging was equally effective. Effect sizes were small to medium. These findings suggest that educational interventions more effectively promote adolescents’ sustainable behavior when tailored to their developmentally salient peer status motive.
{"title":"Shifting peer norms, shifting behavior? Optimizing educational interventions to promote adolescents’ sustainable dietary choices","authors":"Judith van de Wetering , Stathis Grapsas , Astrid Poorthuis , Sander Thomaes","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102880","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102880","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Two preregistered randomized experiments (Study 1: <em>N</em> = 381, age 12–17, 47.5 % girls, 90 % Dutch; Study 2: <em>N</em> = 468, age 12–19, 52.8 % girls, 79.7 % Dutch) tested whether educational interventions to promote adolescents' sustainable behavior can be optimized by harnessing their peer status motive. Across studies, Bayesian informative hypothesis testing indicated strong support (PMPs 0.896 to 0.981, BFs 10.02 to 58.03) for the hypothesis that educational messaging promoted adolescents' sustainable dietary behavior and behavior intentions compared to unrelated messaging; that peer norm messaging amplified the motivational effect of education; and that dynamic (“more and more youth choose to eat less meat”) and static (“some youth choose to eat less meat”) norm messaging was equally effective. Effect sizes were small to medium. These findings suggest that educational interventions more effectively promote adolescents’ sustainable behavior when tailored to their developmentally salient peer status motive.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102880"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-09DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102879
Amanda Rikner Martinsson , Terese Glatz , Maria Ojala
Addressing climate change requires people in the Global North to avoid high-impact behaviors like car use and air travel. Late adolescents, whose engagement in such behaviors may be restricted by age and parental decision-making, are in a crucial stage for developing a sense of moral responsibility for climate change. Understanding why some adolescents cultivate this responsibility is vital, as responsibility relates to both pro-environmental engagement and well-being. Therefore, this study aims to identify factors associated with late adolescents' sense of moral responsibility. Nature connectedness, parental descriptive norms, and macro climate-change worry have been positively linked to pro-environmental behavior in previous research, but their role in relation to moral responsibility regarding climate change remains less clear. Similarly, the relationship between distancing coping and moral responsibility is yet to be fully understood. In this study we explore ways that these factors are associated with late adolescents’ moral responsibility and examine whether these relationships differ between girls and boys. In 2023, we surveyed 619 Swedish high school students (ages 16–20). We used structural equation modeling to answer our research questions. Connectedness to nature, parental norms, worry, and distancing coping were positively associated with responsibility, with parental norms having a stronger effect for boys. Worry partially mediated how parental norms and nature connectedness related to responsibility, with a stronger mediation effect for girls in the latter relationship. Distancing coping did not moderate the relationship between worry and responsibility. Our findings are interpreted within social-ecological and emotion-norm frameworks, and we suggest promoting responsibility through nature connectedness, role modeling, and constructive worry management. Limitations, including those related to cross-sectional designs, are discussed.
{"title":"Understanding late adolescents’ moral responsibility for climate change: The role of social-ecological factors, worry, and distancing","authors":"Amanda Rikner Martinsson , Terese Glatz , Maria Ojala","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102879","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102879","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Addressing climate change requires people in the Global North to avoid high-impact behaviors like car use and air travel. Late adolescents, whose engagement in such behaviors may be restricted by age and parental decision-making, are in a crucial stage for developing a sense of moral responsibility for climate change. Understanding why some adolescents cultivate this responsibility is vital, as responsibility relates to both pro-environmental engagement and well-being. Therefore, this study aims to identify factors associated with late adolescents' sense of moral responsibility. Nature connectedness, parental descriptive norms, and macro climate-change worry have been positively linked to pro-environmental behavior in previous research, but their role in relation to moral responsibility regarding climate change remains less clear. Similarly, the relationship between distancing coping and moral responsibility is yet to be fully understood. In this study we explore ways that these factors are associated with late adolescents’ moral responsibility and examine whether these relationships differ between girls and boys. In 2023, we surveyed 619 Swedish high school students (ages 16–20). We used structural equation modeling to answer our research questions. Connectedness to nature, parental norms, worry, and distancing coping were positively associated with responsibility, with parental norms having a stronger effect for boys. Worry partially mediated how parental norms and nature connectedness related to responsibility, with a stronger mediation effect for girls in the latter relationship. Distancing coping did not moderate the relationship between worry and responsibility. Our findings are interpreted within social-ecological and emotion-norm frameworks, and we suggest promoting responsibility through nature connectedness, role modeling, and constructive worry management. Limitations, including those related to cross-sectional designs, are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102879"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Scholarly interest in the link between nature and children's school success has been on the rise. However, most studies have focused primarily on academic achievement, with less attention paid to the learning process. Moreover, the mechanisms connecting nature-related variables—particularly family members' attitudes toward nature—to children's school success remain understudied. This three-year longitudinal study examined two questions: (1) whether children's nature contact mediated the relationships between family members' attitudes toward nature and their learning engagement, learning anxiety and academic achievement; and (2) whether residential green space at different spatial scales moderated these pathways. Data on nature-related and academic variables were collected across three waves for 429 Chinese children (Mage = 9.86, SD = 0.72 at T1), using subjective reports (from children) and objective geospatial data (NDVI). The results indicated that children's nature contact mediated the relationships between family members' attitudes toward nature and their subsequent learning anxiety, learning engagement, and academic achievement. Residential green space within the 500/1000-m range (instead of 50-, 100-, 250-, 300-, or 2000-m ranges) moderated the relationship between nature contact and academic achievement. For those living in lower residential green space within the 500/1000-m range, children with higher levels of nature contact exhibited better academic achievement. These findings highlight the important roles of families' attitudes toward nature, nature contact, and residential green space in school-age children's school success.
{"title":"The family-nature-school success pathway: Longitudinal mediation by nature contact and moderation by residential green space","authors":"Jingyi Zhang , Xinyi Yang , Yue Qi , Xiao Yu , Yinghe Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102871","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102871","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Scholarly interest in the link between nature and children's school success has been on the rise. However, most studies have focused primarily on academic achievement, with less attention paid to the learning process. Moreover, the mechanisms connecting nature-related variables—particularly family members' attitudes toward nature—to children's school success remain understudied. This three-year longitudinal study examined two questions: (1) whether children's nature contact mediated the relationships between family members' attitudes toward nature and their learning engagement, learning anxiety and academic achievement; and (2) whether residential green space at different spatial scales moderated these pathways. Data on nature-related and academic variables were collected across three waves for 429 Chinese children (<em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 9.86, <em>SD</em> = 0.72 at T1), using subjective reports (from children) and objective geospatial data (NDVI). The results indicated that children's nature contact mediated the relationships between family members' attitudes toward nature and their subsequent learning anxiety, learning engagement, and academic achievement. Residential green space within the 500/1000-m range (instead of 50-, 100-, 250-, 300-, or 2000-m ranges) moderated the relationship between nature contact and academic achievement. For those living in lower residential green space within the 500/1000-m range, children with higher levels of nature contact exhibited better academic achievement. These findings highlight the important roles of families' attitudes toward nature, nature contact, and residential green space in school-age children's school success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102871"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}