Abstract
Climate change is among the most pressing issues of our time, requiring behavior change on the part of many individuals. However, individual reactions to the topics of climate change and sustainability, including the propensity to engage in sustainable behavior in daily life, have been increasingly colored by political ideology. While an emerging body of work recognizes the important role of positive emotions in driving sustainable behaviors, prior research has not examined whether or how specific positive emotions might differentially lead to sustainable behavior change among those with differing political ideologies. The present research demonstrates that the positive emotion of hope differentially affects the willingness of conservatives versus liberals to engage in sustainable behaviors. Five studies measure and manipulate political ideology and use various operationalizations of sustainable behavior to demonstrate that activating hope leads conservatives to increase their sustainable intentions and behaviors relative to their baseline tendencies (neutral condition) and other comparison emotions (nostalgia, pride). This effect occurs because hope increases conservatives’ desire for societal transformation and strengthens their perceptions of collective efficacy. These findings offer practical insights and advance the literatures on sustainable behavior, political ideology, and emotion.
•Positive emotion of hope differentially affects the willingness of conservatives versus liberals to engage in sustainable behaviors•Hope increases conservatives' desire for societal transformation and strengthens their perceptions of collective efficacy, thereby increasing their willingness to engage in sustainable behaviors.•These findings offer practical insights and advance the literatures on sustainable behavior, political ideology, and emotion.