Incremental Contributions of Place Attachment above and beyond Locus of Control in Pro-environmental Behaviour
In recent times, there is increasing attention by government and non-governmental
organisations to change the utilitarian approach which people have in relation to their environment. The goal of such paradigm shifts is to encourage individuals and groups to care for and protect the places where they live in and work to earn their living. The aim of the
present cross-sectional study was to examine the roles of locus of control and place attachment in pro-environmental behaviour of a sample of local government employees in Enugu state, Nigeria. Participants were 240 staff who were drawn from three local government areas (LGAs) located in Enugu urban area of Enugu state. They completed a questionnaire form consisting of the Locus of Control Behaviour Scale (LOCBS), Place Attachment Inventory and Pro-environmental Behaviour Scale (PEBS). Hierarchical Linear regression was used in analysing the data. Locus of control significantly and positively predicted pro-environmental behaviour, accounting for 6% of the variance in proenvironmental behaviour. Place attachment significantly and positively predicted proenvironmental behaviour, explaining 9% of the variance in pro-environmental behaviour. The result implies that having an internal locus of control is important but dependence, identity, affect, or bonding with important aspects of one’s environment was associated with greater engagement in environmentally supportive behaviours. It was suggested that psychosocial interventions aimed at instilling internal control beliefs into the LGA staff and
designing programmes to create positive emotions and feelings towards significant places for diverse segments of the population may be helpful in increasing pro-environmental behaviour.