title: Personality traits and environmental choices: On the search for understanding.
abstract: In this paper we hypothesize that individuals will choose among alternative courses of action for power generation from wind farms according to their personality profiles. Through a factor analysis we found that certain characteristics of personality do indeed have an effect on environmental choice. The study involves an extensive survey based on the Big Five Traits model to find a pattern of choice that will help to better understand environmental decisions and be useful for policy makers to identify target groups and preview reactions to different courses of action. The research is potentially useful for the better preparation and design of publicity material, awareness raising campaigns and information provision for complex or unpopular policies affecting the environment or in environmental education in general. This research is especially interested in shedding some light on how personality is involved in the processes of environmental decision making, despite the limitations of the present study.
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield, Management School, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom; CSIC, Albasanz 26, 28037 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: b.farizo@csic.es.
authors.forename: Begoña A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Farizo
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield, Management School, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Electronic address: d.oglethorpe@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oglethorpe
authors.affiliation: INIA, Forest Research Centre (CIFOR), Ctra. La Coruña km 7.5, E-28040 Madrid, Spain; Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid & INIA, Avda. de Madrid 57, 34004 Palencia, Spain. Electronic address: solino.mario@inia.es.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soliño
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D011210:Power Plants; D013030:Spain; D014919:Wind; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Big five traits and environment; Continuous choice experiment; Personality and environment; Wind energy