Investigating the relationship between the big five personality traits and pro-environmental behaviour among university students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and pro-environmental behaviour. The literature reviewed in this study, indicated a link between some of these traits and pro-environmental behaviour. However, the research was inconsistent with regards to certain traits. This study attempted to understand this relationship among the University of Malta student population using a quantitative survey methodology. It made use of a questionnaire containing the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP-NEO) as well as a specifically designed measure investigating pro-environmental behaviour in order to gather data which was completed by a sample of the aforementioned population (N=99) . This sample was gathered through emails sent to a random sample of students by the registrar as well as through social media and a QR code. This study found a correlation between agreeableness and pro-environmental behaviour as well as between conscientiousness and pro-environmental behaviour. However, it could not establish a link between demographic information, openness to experience, extraversion or neuroticism and pro-environmental behaviour. Some of these results supported existing literature while others were contradictory to previous findings. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the relationship between personality traits and pro environmental behaviour.