How Do We Influence People's Sustainable Behaviour? Insights from SDGs

Concerns have been raised globally regarding the environmental destructions caused by human behaviours, such as considerable use of resources, waste generation and CO2 emissions owning to construction, transport, leisure activities like travel, hospitality, and events, and etc (Alonso-Vazquez, et al., 2019; Bossey, 2022; Mair & Laing, 2013). People want to act pro-environmentally, but there are a variety of obstacles to sustainable actions. Although there are emerging contributions to the knowledge of how to use behavioural science theories/techniques to analyse and uncover how to influence people’s sustainable behaviour, much remains unknown with discrepant viewpoints and discussions.

In this seminar, Dr. Wu will discuss three mechanisms in driving/hindering people’s sustainable actions, based on her recent research projects, mainly from behavioural science and social psychology perspectives: 1) Rationality or morality? An ongoing debate over the influential factor of sustainable behaviours; 2) Moral obligation or disengagement? Minding the ways that people find excuses not to engage in sustainable actions; 3) Sustainable behaviours across contexts: The mechanism behind behavioural consistency/inconsistency. All the above three arguments will lead to discussions on how sustainable actions in business, daily life and/or students’ subject fields can make connections and contributions to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).