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Gibson, Ruth (2023) Social Status and Pro-Environmental Behaviour: A Systematic Review. Masters thesis, University of Gloucestershire. doi:10.46289/ZYSS2102
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Abstract
Understanding the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is a critical component in encouraging sustainable behaviour and limiting the climate crisis. Social status has been proposed as one potential explanatory factor. People tend to engage in behaviours which signal high social status and refrain from engaging in those which signal low social status. It has been suggested that the perceived social status signals associated with PEBs may determine whether a person decides to engage in PEBs. However, inconsistencies in terminology and measurement have led to a lack of clarity regarding whether PEBs signal higher or lower social status than equivalent non-PEBs. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to systematically consolidate and synthesise the literature investigating the social status perceptions associated with PEB. After registering the systematic review protocol, a comprehensive search of 12 databases was conducted in July 2022 to identify records that quantitatively compared the perceived social status of PEBs to non-PEBs, compared the perceived social status of different PEBs, measured the influence of individual characteristics on perceived social status of PEBs, or compared perceived social status of PEBs to performance/intended performance of PEBs. Risk of bias was assessed using The Risk of Bias In Systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool (Whiting et al., 2016) and The Generic Risk-of-Bias Measure for Systematic Reviews of Surveys (ROBUST) (Nudelman & Otto, 2020). Textual narrative synthesis was used to synthesise results. Thirty studies from 20 reports were included. Synthesis one revealed mixed evidence for whether PEBs signal higher social status than non-PEBs, with green consumption emerging as the PEB most likely to signal high social status. Synthesis two identified several PEB features that influenced the social status signals they are perceived to have, highlighting green consumption PEBs, high-effort PEBs, and visible PEBs as signalling high social status. Synthesis three identified various individual characteristics potentially impacting perceived social status of PEBs, including political orientation, age, and environmental identity. Synthesis four found inconsistent evidence for whether perceived social status of PEBs related to engagement with PEBs, suggesting this relationship depended on contextual factors. Therefore, caution should be used when employing social status in interventions encouraging PEBs to ensure their effectiveness. Limitations of the evidence include a lack of consistency in conceptualisation and measurement of social status among included studies, a reliance on intended or simulated measures of PEB and poor study quality.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) | |||||||||
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| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) | |||||||||
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education, Health and Sciences | |||||||||
| Depositing User: | Anne Pengelly | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 04 Sep 2026 11:30 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 04 Sep 2026 11:31 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16500 |
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