IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i2p796-d722464.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resolving the Do/Do Not Debate: Communication Perspective to Enhance Sustainable Lifestyles

Author

Listed:
  • Donghee N. Lee

    (Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA)

  • Myiah J. Hutchens

    (Department of Public Relations, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Janice L. Krieger

    (STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
    Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA)

Abstract

Clear and memorable environmental messaging has been scarce. Recycling contamination is an urgent environmental concern because the public is confused about which items can and cannot be recycled. Environmental campaigns utilizing message framing, a method used to emphasize either the benefits of performing or loss of avoiding an action, may help combat this problem. We conducted an online study ( n = 1199) and randomly assigned participants to view positively or negatively framed (do vs. do not) messages. Results revealed that participants who viewed negative messages with do not descriptors increased recycling intention, mediated by increased recycling contamination knowledge and recycling efficacy (95% CI: 0.03, 0.08). The findings suggest that recycling instructions may be more effective when messages are framed negatively using inhibitive descriptors. Results of this study can inform development of environmental campaigns to improve sustainable lifestyles.

Suggested Citation

  • Donghee N. Lee & Myiah J. Hutchens & Janice L. Krieger, 2022. "Resolving the Do/Do Not Debate: Communication Perspective to Enhance Sustainable Lifestyles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:2:p:796-:d:722464
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/2/796/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/2/796/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McCarty, John A. & Shrum, L. J., 1994. "The recycling of solid wastes: Personal values, value orientations, and attitudes about recycling as antecedents of recycling behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 53-62, May.
    2. Rhodes, Ryan E. & Beauchamp, Mark R. & Conner, Mark & deBruijn, Gert-Jan & Latimer-Cheung, Amy & Kaushal, Navin, 2014. "Are mere instructions enough? Evaluation of four types of messaging on community depot recycling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 1-8.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andreas Falke & Nadine Schröder & Claudia Hofmann, 2022. "The influence of values in sustainable consumption among millennials," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(6), pages 899-928, August.
    2. Cherrier, Helene & Türe, Meltem, 2020. "Value dynamics in ordinary object disposal," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 221-228.
    3. Yanping Gong & Xiuyuan Tang & Julan Xie & Long Zhang, 2022. "Exploring the Nexus Between Work-to-Family Conflict, Material Rewards Parenting and Adolescent Materialism: Evidence from Chinese Dual-Career Families," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(3), pages 593-607, March.
    4. Cheung, Millissa F.Y. & To, W.M., 2019. "An extended model of value-attitude-behavior to explain Chinese consumers’ green purchase behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 145-153.
    5. Soyoung Seo & Hee-Kyung Ahn & Jaeseok Jeong & Junghoon Moon, 2016. "Consumers’ Attitude toward Sustainable Food Products: Ingredients vs. Packaging," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Feiyu Chen & Hong Chen & Jiahui Yang & Ruyin Long & Qianwen Li, 2018. "Impact of Information Intervention on the Recycling Behavior of Individuals with Different Value Orientations—An Experimental Study on Express Delivery Packaging Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-20, October.
    7. Nguyen, The Ninh & Lobo, Antonio & Greenland, Steven, 2016. "Pro-environmental purchase behaviour: The role of consumers' biospheric values," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 98-108.
    8. Afzaal Ali & Guo Xiaoling & Adnan Ali & Mehkar Sherwani & Farhan Muhammad Muneeb, 2019. "Customer motivations for sustainable consumption: Investigating the drivers of purchase behavior for a green‐luxury car," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 833-846, July.
    9. Chirag Malik & Neeraj Singhal, 2017. "Consumer Environmental Attitude and Willingness to Purchase Environmentally Friendly Products: An SEM Approach," Vision, , vol. 21(2), pages 152-161, June.
    10. So Yeon Cho & Joowon Jung, 2023. "Effects of Individualism, Collectivism, Materialism, and Willingness to Pay for Environmental Protection on Environmental Consciousness and Pro-Environmental Consumption Behavior in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-14, May.
    11. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2007-065 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Adekunle Oke, 2015. "Workplace Waste Recycling Behaviour: A Meta-Analytical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-20, June.
    13. Naman Sreen & Swetarupa Chatterjee & Seema Bhardwaj & Asmita Chitnis, 2023. "Reasons and intuitions: extending behavioural reasoning theory to determine green purchase behavior," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 20(2), pages 447-475, June.
    14. Pagnarith Srun & Kiyo Kurisu, 2019. "Internal and External Influential Factors on Waste Disposal Behavior in Public Open Spaces in Phnom Penh, Cambodia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-14, March.
    15. Guarini, Giulio & Porcile, Gabriel, 2016. "Sustainability in a post-Keynesian growth model for an open economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 14-22.
    16. Catarina Roseira & Sandrina Teixeira & Belem Barbosa & Rita Macedo, 2022. "How Collectivism Affects Organic Food Purchase Intention and Behavior: A Study with Norwegian and Portuguese Young Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    17. Allen, Michael W. & Ng, Sik Hung, 1999. "The direct and indirect influences of human values on product ownership," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 5-39, February.
    18. Kiatkawsin, Kiattipoom & Han, Heesup, 2017. "Young travelers' intention to behave pro-environmentally: Merging the value-belief-norm theory and the expectancy theory," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 76-88.
    19. Kelly, T.C. & Mason, I.G. & Leiss, M.W. & Ganesh, S., 2006. "University community responses to on-campus resource recycling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 42-55.
    20. Ang, James B. & Fredriksson, Per G. & Sharma, Swati, 2020. "Individualism and the adoption of clean energy technology," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    21. Richard Osbaldiston, 2013. "Synthesizing the Experiments and Theories of Conservation Psychology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(6), pages 1-26, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:2:p:796-:d:722464. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.