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Perceptions of environmentalists and environmental activists: Implications for pro-environmental behaviors
Corral, Sol Isela
Corral, Sol Isela
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Abstract
Negative stereotypes of environmentalists may hinder the environmental movement, possibly due to negative perceptions of activism. My thesis examined whether negativity toward environmentalists is driven by activism and violations of the environmentalist prototype (White female). In Study 1, I compared stereotypes and prototypes of environmentalists versus environmental activists and tested whether positive stereotypes are associated with pro- environmental behaviors. Participants held generally positive stereotypes and similar prototypes of environmentalists and environmental activists (e.g., young, liberal White female), but identified more with environmentalists than environmental activists. Open-ended stereotype content did not differ between the groups, though language coding indicated slightly more negative tone in descriptions of activists. Positive perceptions of the groups (similarity, identification with the groups) correlated with greater self-reported engagement in pro- environmental behaviors. In Study 2, participants read descriptions of an environmentalist who either engaged or did not engage in activism (e.g., protests), and whose race (Black, White) and gender (Woman, Man) were experimentally varied. Participants felt more positive toward non- activist environmentalists, and liberals reported more pro-environmental behavior when they were in the environmentalist rather than activist condition. Gender and race of the environmentalist did not influence participants’ reactions. In Study 3, race and activism of a female target were manipulated using more ecologically valid social media stimuli (Instagram profiles). Activists were again viewed more negatively than non-activists and target race only affected decision to engage in pro-environmental behavioral: Liberalism predicted increased behavioral engagement, but only among participants in the White target condition.Environmental activism increased negativity in all three studies, though perceptions were generally favorable overall—a positive sign for the environmental movement.
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Date
2025-01-01
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University of Kansas
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This item contains archived web content.
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Corral_ku_0099M_20409.pdf
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- Embargoed until 2176-05-31
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Keywords
Activism, Environmentalism, Pro-environmental behaviors, Prototypes, Stereotypes