'It's not Easy Being Green': Exploring Green Creeds, Green Deeds, and Internal Environmental Locus of Control.

ABSTRACT The authors report on the development of a novel construct, internal environmental locus of control (INELOC), which captures consumers' multifaceted attitudes pertaining to personal responsibility towards and ability to affect environmental outcomes. Using data gathered from a sample of consumers, the linkages between INELOC and a wide array of environmental behaviors were investigated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed four first-order dimensions ('green consumer,' 'activism,' 'advocate,' and 'recycling attitudes') embedded within a second-order INELOC factor. Structural equations modeling techniques showed that INELOC was a strong positive predictor of many behaviors. However, the nature of the attitude-behavior relationship varied considerably across behavioral contexts, implying that people do not consistently behave in a proenvironmental manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]