Personality and environmental outcomes: The role of moral anger in channeling climate change action and pro-environmental behavior

Abstract

The overarching aim of the present research is to investigate whether and how HEXACO personality traits relate to climate change action, pro-environmental behavior, and moral anger. A sample of 268 community participants provided responses for measures of the HEXACO model, moral anger, intention to engage in climate change action, and pro-environmental behavior. Hierarchical tests indicated that (1) Openness to Experience outperformed the other HEXACO personality traits in predicting climate change action, whereas (2) both Openness to Experience and Honesty–Humility outperformed the other HEXACO personality traits in predicting pro-environmental behavior, controlling for participants’ gender, age, education, and employment status. Specifically, mediation analyses showed that (3) Openness to Experience was related to climate change action both directly and indirectly via moral anger. Furthermore, (4) Openness to Experience and Honesty–Humility were independently related to pro-environmental behavior both directly and indirectly via moral anger.