THE ROLE OF SELF-IMAGE AS AN ECOLOGICAL ADVOCATE AND ATTITUDES ON THE RECYCLING PHENOMENON C. B. Claiborne, James Madison University Kenneth D. Bahn, James Madison University ABSTRACT This paper reports the results of an analysis of the hypothesized relationship between a per- son's self concept as an ecological advocate, the propensity to recycle household items, and a person's attitudes toward recycling and recycling behaviors. The findings of this research suggest that consumers perceive themselves more than ecological advocates as strong recyclers, that is, as people who recycle INTRODUCTION Recycling is fast becoming a widespread behavior in America. People from all walks of life report that they are environmentally con- cerned and that these concerns transfer to recycling behavior of mostly household items (Bargozzi and Dabholker 1994). Yet vast dif- ferences exist in individual recycling behavior (DeYoung 1986, Granzin and Olson 1991). Some segments may concentrate on paper goods such as newspapers and magazines, while others may concentrate on glass and plastic. Further, other groups may focus on outside-the-home recycling items such as yard grass clippings and used motor oil and car batteries. Some groups may attempt to recycle all possible items, thus creating a heavy recycler segment (Pieters 1991; Vining and Ebreo 1992; Jackson, Olson, Granzin, and Burns 1993). Recycling behavior has been linked to various attitudes and situational factors. Attitudes like ecological concern (Kinnear and Taylor 1973), and social consciousness (Webster 1975) have been proposed. Situa- tional factors such as knowledge of recycling procedures (Geller 1989), perceived benefits (Dunlap et al 1984), and the availability of recycling (Derksen and Gartrell 1993) have also been used. Most of these studies have inves- tigated differences in recyclers versus non- recyclers. 14 quite a few household items regularly. Further, the analysis concerning attitudes with recycling behaviors suggests three distinct market seg- ments based on their attitudes and the items that they recycle. Both hypotheses were sup- ported and considered with previous findings from Balderjahn ( 1988) who investigated per- sonality attitudes and recycling behaviors in West Germany. Similarly, other ecological behaviors have been linked to attitudes, situational factors, and personal characters (Anderson and Cunning- ham; Antil 1984; Berger and Corbin 1992). These behaviors include the conservation of water, home insulation, reduced driving speeds, and the purchase of products produced locally or requiring less packaging. One model which relates these variables was proposed by Balderjahn (1988). Per- sonality, cultural variables, and socio-economic variables are considered as exogenous. These lead to the formation of ecological attitudes which then leads to ecological consumption behaviors. This current research employs the Balderjahn's (1988) model to empirically test relationships for a North American sample. Balderjahn's sample was composed of subjects from West Germany. The personality construct measured is one's self-image as an ecological advocate. This self-image is then compared to recycling behaviors. The image of an ecological advocate and attitudes toward the environment are also compared to recycling behaviors. CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND Personality characteristics and attitudes toward the environment have proven to be equivocal in predicting environmental behaviors such as recycling (Pettus and Giles 1987). Recently some evidence suggests that while the decision to recycle may not be predicted by