Ownership Feelings Toward Green and Blue Nature Spaces: Outcomes and Mechanisms

Abstract

Psychological ownership has been increasingly examined in relation to the natural environment, with literature showing that ownership feelings of natural areas are positively related to pro-environmental intentions or behaviours. However, there remains limited understanding of the mediating factors behind this psychological ownership of nature effect, the potential for negative consequences, and whether the effect differs by type of natural spaces. We addressed these gaps via a pre-registered 2 (individual psychological ownership: high vs low) × 2 (nature-type: terrestrial green vs coastal blue) between-subjects experiment within the Australian community (N = 407). Our results showed that eliciting psychological ownership of a natural area led to pro-environmental outcomes (e.g., volunteering intentions and donation behaviours). Perceived responsibility consistently mediated these relationships, while alternative mediators (i.e., place attachment and self-efficacy) varied depending on the specific outcome considered. Notably, while elicited psychological ownership of nature engendered entitlement feelings, it did not evoke territorial defence. Exploratory analyses indicated that the psychological ownership effect and mediating mechanisms were similar across both green and blue nature spaces. Overall, our study offers a nuanced understanding of how psychological ownership shapes nature conservation outcomes.