The effect of inequality and gender on sustainablebehaviour

Abstract

Climate change has in the last decade become more important and urgent. As its consequences are harmful to the environment and humanity. The only way to slow this down is by sustainable behaviour. However, there is a lack of involvement which cause governments and organisations to look for solutions to promote sustainability. Literature suggests that sustainable behaviour can be influenced by SES level but does not go into detail about this possible effect. In addition, the moderation effect of gender is not researched in combination with SES for the Netherlands. It is argued that women show more sustainable behaviour, especially those with a high SES background and that the height of one’s SES background can either positively or negatively affect their sustainable behaviour depending on the gender. It is expected that those with low SES show less sustainable behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of SES on sustainable behaviour and if this is moderated by gender. Using the LISS dataset called “the energy transition from a citizen's perspective” from 2019. This is examined by performing a multiple linear regression analysis on N=2175 Dutch citizen respondents. Results are partially in line with the expectations. There is an effect found of SES on sustainable behaviour but only when measuring SES through education. This states that low SES individuals show the least amount of sustainable behaviour. Furthermore, results showed no moderation effect of gender. However, there was found an effect of gender on sustainable behaviour. This means that women generally show more sustainable behaviour as expected, however, this is not a moderation effect on the relation between SES and sustainable behaviour. These findings were used to form policy recommendations aimed at creating more awareness and urgency surrounding climate change and sustainable behaviour.