Pro-environmental Behavior and Environmentalist Movements: Evidence from the Identification with Fridays for Future
Using identification with the environmentalist movement Fridays for Future, this paper empirically tests the effect of a novel type of prime on pro-environmental behavior: the reminder of their previously stated attitude towards Fridays for Future. On the basis of a large-scale survey experiment including the incentivized choice between a voucher for a flight or a train ride, we find evidence that respondents who receive such an identity prime are more likely to behave in line with the movement’s moral principles in that they take the train. Our results suggest that pro-environmental behavior may be enhanced by reminding individuals of their attitude towards environmental matters.