The influence of pledging and motivational factors on environmental behavior : evidence from the Plastic Soup Surfer Petition

The influence of the contextual factors pledging and behavioral cost on the relationship between motivational factors and environmental behavior in the case of online petitions about a sustainability related problem is analyzed. The independent variables include morale and affect, the latter split up into instrumental, symbolic and affective value of money. Environmental behavior is defined as making a donation to the initiative of the petition. The research is executed under signatories of two large online petitions. The assumed moderator role of contextual factors turns out to not be significant, but the data offers space for further research on another role of contextual factors in this theoretical framework.