About the Project

History of Creation

The preparatory work for the creation of the Environmental Psychology Research and Study Group was conducted under the leadership of Elena V. Sautkina (Professor, Department of Psychology, HSE University, an international expert in the field of environmental psychology) since 2018. From that time until its official creation, the group conducted internal seminars and scientific research on environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviour. In April 2020, the group members adapted Recurring Pro-Environmental Behaviour Scale (Brick, Sherman and Kim, 2017; Ivanova, Agissova, and Sautkina, 2020). In October 2020, the members of the group received a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research “Expansion" to conduct a systematic review of Russian empirical studies on pro-environmental behaviour. In 2021, the HSE Academic Fund supported the creation of Environmental Psychology Research and Study Group to implement a research project called “Pro-Environmental Behaviour and its Psychological Determinants in Russia”.

Goals of the Project

Within the framework of this study, we set the following goals:

1.    Development of a Russian scale of pro-environmental behaviour.

2.    Research of determinants, their relationships and contribution to the explanation of pro-environmental behaviour.

Pro-Environmental Behaviour Scale

Pro-environmental behaviour is one of the key concepts in Environmental Psychology — an interdisciplinary field that studies the interaction between humans and the environment. Pro-environmental behaviour is the behaviour aimed at the maximum reduction of harm or increasing the benefit to the environment. Pro-environmental behaviours are diverse and can be classified into many categories such as household waste management, resource conservation, the choice of transport, food choice, etc.

The vast majority of pro-environmental behaviour scales were developed abroad and are focused on the pro-environmental culture and lifestyle characteristics of other countries. In this regard, there is a need to create accurate and systematic Russian tools for measuring pro-environmental behaviour, adapted to Russian realities.

Determinants of Pro-Environmental Behaviour

Determinants of pro-environmental behaviour are factors that help predict pro-environmental behaviour. For example, one of the most important determinants of pro-environmental behaviour is environmental concern. In other words, a person who is concerned about the state of the environment is more likely to lead a pro-environmental lifestyle, avoid buying coffee in disposable cups, use plastic bags or a private car. In this regard, it seems promising to lead information campaigns to increase environmental awareness and concern, as these can stimulate pro-environmental behaviour. Therefore, research of the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour can make an invaluable contribution to the promotion of pro-environmental behaviour of the population. Within the framework of this research, we will study the socio-psychological and individual (personal) determinants of pro-environmental behaviour.