Investigating the Mediating Role of Responsibility in the Relationship between Altruistic Value and Environmental Citizenship Behavior

• Published in: محیط زیست و توسعه فرابخشی Vol. 7; no. 76; pp. 45 - 60
• Main Author: Elham Shafaii Moghadam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Persian
• Published: Research Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (RCESD) 01.06.2022
• Subjects: altruistic value; environmental citizenship behavior; responsibility
• ISSN: 2980-9088
• DOI: 10.22034/envj.2022.154829

Introduction: One way to avoid harming the environment is to change the behavior of citizens towards environmental behavior, which consciously seeks to reduce the negative effects of individual behavior on nature. These changes in the field of environmental behaviors include environmental protection behaviors and reduction of the negative effects of human actions on the environment in daily tasks. As well as specific outdoor programs, it creates the emergence of a new form of citizenship that Dobson has called environmental citizenship. In preliminary studies on environmental behaviors, the use of models based on knowledge and attitude toward environment was common. But the inefficiency of these approaches led researchers to model ethical norms such as the model derived from value theory. The Stern's Belief – Norm theory (1999) suggests a chain of variables, from public values and concerns about the environment to specific beliefs about the negative consequences of certain activities, while emphasizing the ability and responsibility of individuals to avoid these negative consequences and enable their personal norms to protect the environment. In this research, according to stern value-belief-norm theory, environmental citizen behavior in the second type of environmental behaviors and altruistic value from values and responsibility section of beliefs and beliefs of this theory has been selected and explained the behavior of citizens' environmental citizenship.Materials & Methods: The statistical population of this study is citizens aged 18 years and over in Kashan city in 2020, the sample size is equal to 352 people and for sampling, cluster method has been used. Responsibility and altruism variables with 14 items and environmental citizenship behavior variable with 13 researcher-made items have been measured in the form of 5-point Likert range. To measure the bases of the head, the Cholo and Alphd are used, according to the suitability of the situation, to verify the variables of the subject, to test the theory of the party to be a T, and to the point of a theory, a point to which the subject is used by point of reference to the point in each point of the movement.Results: According to the findings, Kashani citizens have a favorable status in terms of altruism, responsibility and citizenship behavior and the mean of these variables among them is higher than average, the relationship between altruism and responsibility with environmental citizenship behavior with correlation rate (r=0.61, r and sig=0.000, respectively). It is meaningful. Also, based on the volume model, the effect of two variables of altruism and responsibility with (0.275 and F=2=0.245) is moderate, respectively. The amount of Q2 is 0.269. This amount indicates that the predictive power of the model is moderate. In addition, the partial mediation effect of the accountability variable for the relationship between altruism and environmental citizenship behavior has been confirmed, so that VAF value is equal to 0.384. It is believed that 38% of the effect of altruism on environmental citizenship behavior is explained indirectly by the mediator variable of responsibility. Discussion: The results of this study represent an attempt to understand the principles of environmental law, and that by 1404 the previous scholars had been given a clear understanding and a feeling of concern for the environment and its problems. Therefore, considering the importance and role of responsibility in environmental citizenship behaviors is suggested that voluntary and active environmental groups and organizations among citizens be increased in order to strengthen their sense of commitment and responsibility while assigning some environmentally related tasks to citizens.