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Do people who feel connected to nature do more to protect it? A meta-analysis

Resource type
Thesis type
(Thesis) M.A.
Date created
2018-04-10
Authors/Contributors
Abstract
Nature connection, defined as a subjective sense of oneness with nature, is one psychological variable that promotes pro-environmental behaviour (Mayer & Frantz, 2004; Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2009). This meta-analysis reviews correlational and experimental evidence for this relationship. Results in the correlational analysis show a strong association between nature connection and pro-environmental behaviours (r = .41), which was significant for various operationalizations of nature connection and private sphere and public sphere pro-environmental behaviours. Unlike in the correlational data, there was evidence of publication bias when meta-analyzing experimental studies. By including unpublished studies in the meta-analysis, I corrected for this bias and found a small but significant causal effect of nature connection on pro-environmental behaviour (d = .25). I discuss discrepancies between how nature connection is measured and manipulated, and how future studies can better examine the processes by which nature connection causes pro-environmental behaviour.
Document
Identifier
etd10638
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Permissions
This thesis may be printed or downloaded for non-commercial research and scholarly purposes.
Scholarly level
Supervisor or Senior Supervisor
Thesis advisor: Schmitt, Michael
Thesis advisor: Cobb, Rebecca
Member of collection
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etd10638_CMackay.pdf 531.57 KB

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