This study is included in the Coevolvers project, funded by the Horizon Europe
program, and focuses on the socio-psychological antecedents of intentions to
support Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), i.e. those interventions that use the
insertion of natural spots (or the improvement/requalification of the existing
ones).
The theoretical framework includes well-known reference models, such as the
Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory (Stern, 1999) and the Social Identity Model
Pro-Environmental Action (SIMPEA; Fritsche et al., 2018), that have been used
in literature for the explanation of pro-environmental behaviours. Specifically,
socio-psychological dimensions more individual-based (e.g., biospheric values
and beliefs, personal norm) and more group-based (e.g., social norms, in-group
identification and emotions, collective self-efficacy) were selected as possibleantecedents of intentions to support NBS initiatives in a multivariate prediction
model.
About 3000 participants from panels recruited by an external agency in eight EU
countries - Catalunya (Spain), Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy,
Scotland (UK), Slovakia - have to fill in an online questionnaire including the
measures of the selected constructs, including different measures of intentions
to support NBS. The data collection is planned for June 2025.
Expected outcomes are the confirmation of the key role played by both more
individual-based variables (e.g., personal norm) and more group-based
variables (e.g, collective self-efficacy) in promoting intention to be involved in
actions for nature promotion and preservation. These findings should be taken
into account for campaigns aiming at fostering individual and community action
toward the creation of nature spots and the promotion of nature experiences.