Determinants of the attitudes towards green economy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Psychology in Russia: State of the Art. 2023. Vol. 16. No. 1. P. 113–124.

Maksimenko A., Deyneka O. S., Zabelina E. V.

Background. The development of environmental consciousness is a necessary
part of the full development of society. The pandemic caused by COVID-19
has increased attention to the problems of man’s relationship with nature,
green behavior of both the consumer and the producer. Attitudes towards a
green economy are especially important to study in countries rich in natural
resources, as there are more opportunities to overcome the contradictions between
economic growth and green innovation.
Objective. The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of
Russian attitudes toward a green economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main hypothesis was that demographic factors determine attitudes toward
a green economy in different ways, including the willingness to take actions in
support of it, and acknowledgement of the connection of the need for green
transformations with the pandemic.
Design. Subjects were given the questionnaire “Green Economy” which
contains 19 statements with which they needed to express their degree of
agreement on a 5-point Likert scale. Potential determinants of their attitudes
toward a green economy were collected using an additional questionnaire,
which included indicators of gender, age, family and professional status, religiosity,
income level, education level, and place of residence (locality). The study
involved 874 respondents from the Russian Federation (62.4% female; 37.6%
male; the average age was 37.34 years).
Results. The results of a regression analysis showed that women, people
with increased religiosity (but not too religious), younger people, and students
and employees of public organizations (as opposed to employees of state
and commercial organizations), as well as people from small towns or rural
areas,were more positive about the idea of transition to a green economy.

Keywords: environmental attitudes, proenvironmental behavior, COVID-19 pandemic, Attitudes toward a green economy, the “Green Economy” questionnaire