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Augmented Reality Technology as a Tool for Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Attitudes

Author

Listed:
  • Giuseppe Attanasi

    (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
    BETA, University of Strasbourg, France
    Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, GREDEG, France)

  • Barbara Buljat Raymond

    (Université Côte d'Azur, France
    GREDEG CNRS)

  • Agnès Festré

    (Université Côte d'Azur, France
    GREDEG CNRS)

  • Andrea Guido

    (Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté
    Burgundy School of Business)

Abstract

We test whether augmented reality (AR) can serve as a fundraising tool by providing a more immersive way of communicating about environmental issues. In two incentivized studies, we exposed people to AR visualizations illustrating the consequences of plastic pollution, and measure the effect on participant' psychological distance, concern, intention to act and real proenvironmental behavior (donation to pro-environmental organizations). Results show evidence of heterogeneous effects depending on participants’ self-reported pro-environmental attitudes and personal characteristics: following the intervention, individuals with low environmental engagement were likely to reduce their psychological distance, while the opposite happened for individuals engaged in sustainable practices. However, despite AR visualizations reduced the psychological distance of a subset of individuals, our experimental intervention did not increase donation levels. Taken together, our results raise concerns about the use of AR technologies in fundraising and highlight the need for personalised interventions that take into account the heterogeneity of target groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuseppe Attanasi & Barbara Buljat Raymond & Agnès Festré & Andrea Guido, 2023. "Augmented Reality Technology as a Tool for Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Attitudes," GREDEG Working Papers 2023-15, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    • Handle: RePEc:gre:wpaper:2023-15
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    Keywords

    Augmented Reality (AR); experiment; decision making; environmental fundraising; psychological distance; pro-environmental behavior; pro-environmental attitudes;
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