2026
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
The Morality-Effectiveness Disconnect of Pro-Environmental Behaviors
People judge the climate actions that help most, such as flying less, as less moral than actions that help little, such as recycling.
Across 11 studies in five countries (N = 9,247), people judged the climate actions that do the most good, such as flying less, as less moral than actions that do little, such as recycling. Most people expected the opposite. Giving clear information about climate impact reversed the pattern and raised support for policies aimed at the more effective actions.
