Using Self-Efficacy and Hypocrisy to Increase Conservation Behavior

Abstract

Conservation of energy and natural resources is an issue that is demanding increasing attention. The present study attempted to manipulate self-efficacy and hypocrisy to explore their combined effects relating to pro-conservation behavior. We hypothesized that hypocrisy and high self-efficacy would each induce more proconservation behavior. We also predicted an interaction between the two variables such that people in the high self-efficacy and hypocrisy condition would resolve their dissonance by engaging in the highest levels of behavior change of the six experimental conditions, whereas the low self-efficacy and hypocrisy condition would resolve their dissonance by lowering their attitudes towards conservation below that of any of the other experimental conditions. Our results failed to confirm that either manipulation took its desired effect. Only a non-causal relationship between a trait measure of self-efficacy and attitude towards conservation was found to be statistically significant. However, the effect of our hypocrisy manipulation on behavior may have been masked by a floor effect of the behavioral measures used. Future research should continue to explore the relationship between variables like self-efficacy and hypocrisy in order to increase proconservation behavior.