Good patriotism, social consideration, environmental problem cognition, and pro‑environmental attitudes and behaviors: a cross‑sectional study of Chinese attitudes

摘要

Recent studies have indicated a positive association between patriotism and environmentalism; however, the correlationbetween them has not yet been quantitatively verified. Additionally, differences in “good” versus “blind” patriotism havebeen ignored in environmental behavior studies; thus, theoretical concepts related to their effects on environmentalismhave not been empirically tested. The present study aims to reveal the effects of good patriotism and social considerationon pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and the mediating effect of social consideration on the relationshipbetween patriotism and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, while removing national or political prejudice orideology from the measurement of patriotism. Data collected using a self-report questionnaire were analyzed for Chineseuniversity students and workers. Results of multiple hierarchical linear regression analysis of five pro-environmentalattitudes/behaviors estimation models showed that patriotism was correlated with pro-environmental attitudes andbehaviors, and this correlation was completely mediated by individual social consideration, which was strongly andpositively correlated with both patriotism and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Our findings show that patriotismencourages people to focus on societal structures and environmental problems. The effect of good patriotismon individual pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors is clearly different from that of blind nationalism, as shown inprevious literature. The present study highlights implications for future policy-making and education on patriotism andenvironmentalism in China.