(mis)Perception of Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when group members incorrectly believe that others' attitudes and behaviors are systematically different from their own. In this study, we examined people's pro-environmental attitudes and their estimates of the attitudes of other members of their social group. We found widespread evidence of pluralistic ignorance. Individuals systematically underestimated their peers' environmental concerns and willingness to take action to fix them. We conducted a cross-sectional field survey in two districts of Uttar Pradesh (N=306) to analyze people's pro-environmental attitudes and behavior towards the problem of water pollution in the Ganga River. Previous studies have shown pluralistic ignorance is associated with behavioral conformity towards the perceived norms. However, these norms can be misidentified, leading individuals to believe that others do not care 'enough' about the issue and leading to 'self-silencing' among those concerned. We used a Wilcoxon signed-rank test with continuity correction and found evidence for systematic differences in individuals' estimates of their and their peers' pro-environmental behaviors. We also highlight the need to bridge the gap in interpersonal communication water pollution. These findings suggest that the government should engage with stakeholders and create shared avenues of dialogue among them to stimulate pro-environmental behaviors.