Drop some money! The influence of income and subjective financial scarcity on pro-environmental behaviour

Numerous studies investigated how people's willingness to engage in pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) is shaped by their financial circumstances. Yet, no clear pattern can be found in the literature: research demonstrates that people with higher incomes have higher carbon footprints, while other findings show that people with more perceived financial resources indicate more engagement in PEBs. We propose to differentiate between objective income and the subjective feeling of financial scarcity, because less income does not necessarily go together with feelings of financial scarcity and vice versa. We investigated if both income and subjective financial scarcity – though being negatively related in the first place – have a negative influence on the willingness to engage in PEBs. The data of a pilot study (n = 199) provides first evidence that willingness for PEB was indeed lower for people with higher incomes and simultaneously also for those reporting more subjective financial scarcity. Moreover, the analyses of our studies revealed that the negative relation between income and willingness for PEB was mediated by (higher) perceived future availability of natural resources (Study 1 n1 = 314 & Study 2 n2 = 393). Further findings showed that subjective financial scarcity was going along with less PEB due to an increased perceived effort/cost associated with PEB. Finally, Study 3 (n3 = 950) revealed that both income and subjective financial scarcity were also related to a reduced acceptance of shifting activities that consume electric energy. We conclude that researchers need to consider both individuals’ objective and subjective financial situation for determining and coping with the specific barriers that prevent people from engaging in PEB.