Adopting climate control behaviors at the household level: A risk perception attitude (RPA) framework approach

Background: Mitigating climate change requires adopting sustainable behaviors at multiple levels. This paper seeks to determine how parent- and adolescent-level factors affect household behaviors. The risk perception attitude (RPA) framework, which posits that risk perceptions act as motivators and efficacy beliefs as facilitators of behavior change, has not been used at the household level. It was used to predict household-level behaviors and behavioral intentions for reducing climate change. Methods: Data from two waves of a nationally representative survey of parents and one of their adolescent children (n=515 pairs) in the US were collected in January and June, 2010. The RPA framework classified respondents into four groups: indifference (low risk, weak efficacy), proactive (low risk, strong efficacy), avoidance (high risk, weak efficacy), and responsive (high risk, strong efficacy). Correspondence between parental and adolescent RPA groups was assessed using Χ² tests. A linear regression model (controlling for demographic variables and past behaviors) was run to determine how membership in the RPA groups affected household-level prior engagement in sustainable behaviors and intentions for future engagement. Results: Association between parent and adolescent RPA group membership was significant (Β=125.97, p < .001). Household engagement in sustainable behaviors was positively associated with intention to maintain or increase engagement in the future (Β=0.20, p<0.001). Household-level intention was highest among adults in the responsive and proactive groups (Β=0.26, p<0.001, and Β=0.12, p=0.009, respectively). Among adolescents, household-level intention was highest in the responsive group (Β=0.21, p<0.001), compared with the indifferent group. Conclusion: Even after controlling for prior behaviors, the RPA framework accounted for significant differences among audience segments in their behavioral profile. This provides evidence that the household may represent a meaningful level of audience segmentation and intervention implementation for climate change behaviors, and that efforts directed at familial behaviors may yield stronger (and more sustainable) outcomes.