Most Of Us Think We ’re More Environmentally Friendly Than Our Peers

By Emily Reynolds How environmentally friendly am I really? It’s a question we ask ourselves more and more frequently as the climate emergency remains firmly at the top of the political agenda. So we dutifully eschew single-use purchases, lug our tote bags to the supermarket instead of using plastic bags, and take part in Veganuary, safe in the knowledge we’re doing our bit. But, as it turns out, we may be overestimating how well we’re actually doing at being green. According to new research published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology, most of us tend to magnify our own environmental efforts, believing we’re doing more than others even when that isn’t the case. The finding is the latest in a number of studies to demonstrate the “better-than-average” effect: we also believe we are more intelligent than others, for example, and that we work harder. To examine self-image and environmentalism, author Magnus Bergquist from the University of Gothenburg first asked 2,635 Swedes one question: compared to other Swedes, how often/how much do you engage in pro-environmental behaviours? Participants responded via a 7 point scale, running from 1 (much less than others) to 7 (much more than others). In a second study, 513 participants located in the UK, India and the United States were asked the same question, rating themselves compared to their own compatriots and their friends. In addition, Indian participants were given an open-ended question about the kinds of pro-...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: environmental Social The self Source Type: blogs