A bushbaby (Galago senegalensis) raised as an exotic pet.
 Photo credit: Masahiro Honda

By Rumi Naito, Jiaying Zhao, Robin Naidoo, and Kai Chan.

Read the full paper here.

In the pathway toward environmental sustainability, it is important that we understand how individuals can make a difference through diverse types of engagement. While many studies have focused on private behavior change, such as recycling, buying eco-friendly products, and saving energy at home, researchers have not paid much attention to the power of collective civic actions for bringing about bigger changes in society. This study seeks to understand different ways that people can contribute to environmental sustainability, specifically by looking at the exotic pet trade, which is a growing threat to biodiversity and conservation efforts. We asked two research questions: How do different categories of individual action (private vs. civic) with varying impacts on systemic change manifest in real-world behavioral intentions? And what factors explain these distinct patterns of action?

To shed light on these inquiries, we conducted an online survey of 527 participants in the United States. Results from the survey revealed three patterns of individual action that hold the potential to transform the unsustainable trade in exotic pets. First, private action that is to reduce one’s environmental footprints. Second, lower social-commitment civic action that involves a relatively low level of social engagement and personal efforts to call for systemic change. And third, higher social-commitment civic action that entails greater levels of social interactions and risks. We also discovered that individuals are more likely to engage in private actions, such as avoiding buying exotic pets or visiting wildlife entertainment venues, when they hold negative attitudes toward the exotic pet trade and perceive these practices as socially unacceptable. On the other hand, civic actions are primarily associated with the belief that wildlife protection is of utmost importance and that these practices are prevalent in society.

To effectively promote individual engagement in pro-environmental actions, future interventions should consider addressing private actions and civic actions separately. It is important to recognize that interventions targeted at one type of action may inadvertently have adverse impacts on other types of actions, as each type is influenced by different sets of factors. By tailoring interventions to specific action types, we can amplify their impact and avoid backfires in promoting pro-environmental behaviors.