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Title:

Lifestyle Practices and Proenvironmental Technology

Accession Number:

01371023

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

Research consistently shows that pro-environmental attitudes are a poor predictor of environmental behaviors—the so-called “attitude-behavior gap.” As an alternative and perhaps complementary concept, the authors explore measurement of consumer engagement in lifestyle practices and how this relates to interest in pro-environmental technology (PET). Lifestyle practices are packages of activities and behaviors that consumers try and adopt (or reject) in an ongoing attempt to determine and express their identity or self-concept. The authors demonstrate this conceptualization using a recent web-based survey of 711 new-vehicle buying households in San Diego. Through factor analysis we identify six lifestyle sectors: indoor-social, active-outdoor, tech-explore, charity-religion, career-education, and pro-environmental practices. Environmental practices are largely independent of the other factors. We then identify five clusters that differ by lifestyle openness (liminality), tech-explore practices, environmental practices, and pro-environmental attitudes. The authors demonstrate how this classification of lifestyle engagement, combined with openness to change, can help to predict and explain interest in PETs such as hybrid vehicles, electric-vehicles, home solar panels and green electricity programs. Each PET appears to engage different lifestyle clusters for different reasons. Further, attitudinal measures such as the New Environmental Paradigm can complement lifestyle by identifying consumers that are open to shifting toward pro-environmental behaviors, but are not yet engaged in a pro-environmental lifestyle. Overall insights will be useful to policymakers and practitioners seeking to motivate the adoption of PETs and sustainable practices.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB10 Traveler Behavior and Values

Monograph Accession #:

01362476

Report/Paper Numbers:

12-1503

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Axsen, Jonn
TyreeHageman, Jennifer
Lentz, Andy

Pagination:

pp 1-17

Publication Date:

2012

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

References; Tables

Uncontrolled Terms:

Environmentalism; Lifestyle

Geographic Terms:

San Diego (California)

Subject Areas:

Planning and Forecasting

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2012 Paper #12-1503

Files:

TRIS, TRB

Created Date:

Feb 8 2012 5:02PM