THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PARADIGM AND PERSONAL NORMS

Using data from nationwide representative samples from Sweden and from Sweden's largest environmental organization, proenvironmental behavio r is interpreted in the light of Schwartz's norm activation theory. Th e New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale is used as an indicator of aw areness of consequences, while inclination to guilt feelings, if harmi ng the environment, is used as an indicator of a personal norm. Regres sion analysis of proenvironmental behavior and willingness to pay high er prices for environmentally friendly food showed that the indicator of a personal norm was far more strongly correlated to proenvironmenta l behavior and willingness to pay, respectively, than the NEP scale. E ducation and income showed hardly any influence on proenvironmental be havior and willingness to pay, whereas gender and age fell somewhere i n between. An attempt is made to explain the generally weak correlatio ns between NEP and environmentally relevant variables by pointing out the generally high level of agreement with the NEP items among Swedes.