Connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviour from early adolescence to adulthood: A comparison of urban and rural canada

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that emotional connectedness to nature is among the strongest predictors of pro-environmental behaviour. This study investigated the influence of age, gender and living context on emotional connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviour in a Canadian sample. Study participants completed an environmental survey, which assessed demographic data as well as levels of emotional connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviour. The study contained 1251 participants equally divided across gender, sampled from four different age groups in rural versus urban living contexts throughout Canada. Study results revealed that emotional connectedness to nature was the strongest predictor of pro-environmental behaviour in comparison to the other factors. It was found that adults displayed significantly higher levels of emotional connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviour in comparison to adolescents, and that females displayed higher levels of both emotional connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviour in comparison to males. Moreover, urban and rural participants significantly differed in their levels of pro-environmental behaviour, but not in their levels of emotional connectedness to nature.