A cross-cultural perspective on facilitators of recycling

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Abstract

This study investigates the overall effect of individual-level variables on predicting recycling in a cross-cultural context. The objective of the study was to investigate the role of social norms and perceived behavioral control as moderators and/or mediators of the relations between culture and reported recycling behavior. A survey was conducted among 172 Jewish and Muslim-Bedouin residents of a rural regional council in Israel. The survey included scales measuring social norms, perceived behavioral control, and reported recycling. Results revealed strong cross-cultural differences in reported recycling behaviors, with higher reported recycling among Jewish than among Muslim-Bedouin residents. Perceived behavioral control made an almost identical contribution to the explained variability of recycling among both Jewish and Muslim-Bedouin residents. Social norms were a significantly stronger predictor in explaining recycling among Muslim-Bedouin than among Jewish residents, yet, no significant interaction effect was found between culture and social norms in explaining recycling. Both social norms and perceived behavioral control mediated the relations between culture and recycling.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6627-6643
Number of pages17
JournalEnvironment, Development and Sustainability
Volume22
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The work of Dr. Keren Kaplan Mintz was supported by a postdoctoral scholarship given by the University of Haifa. The research was supported by Israel Institute, Washington D.C., Grant No. 20005. The authors wish to thank Mr. Gilad Ostrovsky, Head of the Sustainability Department, and Mrs. Nirit Keren, manager of community and social action in the Sustainability Department of Misgav Regional Council, for their generous help in accessing the research population. We also thank research assistant Ms. Meriam Faour for assisting with the data collection.

Funding Information:
The work of Dr. Keren Kaplan Mintz was supported by a postdoctoral scholarship given by the University of Haifa. The research was supported by Israel Institute, Washington D.C., Grant No. 20005. The authors wish to thank Mr. Gilad Ostrovsky, Head of the Sustainability Department, and Mrs. Nirit Keren, manager of community and social action in the Sustainability Department of Misgav Regional Council, for their generous help in accessing the research population. We also thank research assistant Ms. Meriam Faour for assisting with the data collection. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Nature B.V.

Keywords

  • Culture
  • Perceived behavioral control
  • Pro-environmental behavior
  • Recycling
  • Social norms

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Economics and Econometrics
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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