Attitude vs. Behavior

Attitude has been the subject of research for social psychologist for many years.  Over the years, many different definitions of attitude are considered.  For the purpose of my project, attitude is considered as “a general latent disposition which underlies affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses to an attitude object” (Ajzen, 2005).  In other words, an attitude is a personal outlook that is driven by thoughts about the subject, feelings towards the subject, and intentions toward the subject.  

Attitude behavior consistency is the correspondence between declarations and actions.  Social psychologists have discarded the idea of a clear-cut connection between attitude and behavior (Byrka, 2009).  In their book Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Behavior, Ajzen and Fishbein discuss the idea that intention is the driving determinant in a person’s behavior.  They describe intention as

a function of two basic determinants, one personal in nature and the other reflecting social influence.  The personal factor is the individual’s positive or negative evaluation of performing the behavior.  The second determinant of intention is the person’s perception of the social pressures put on him to perform or not to perform the behavior in question (1980).

People will act upon an intention if they determine it as positive and believe “important others think they should perform it” (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). 

Campbell’s paradigm is another major theory in attitude behavior studies.  Katarzyna Byrka discusses his theory in her thesis on Attitude behavior consistency.  According to Byrka, Campbell subscribed the idea to situational limitations such as social norms create different settings for behaviors.  In his theory, the behavior’s difficulty is determined by to “total cost of performance” (Byrka, 2009).

In 1997 a project titled "The Demographics of Recycling and the Structure of Environmental Behavior" was conducted.  This project showed that “a large number of people will take pro-environmental actions is they have access to a convenient way of doing so”.  I hypothesize that redefining a norm and creating a space that is more conducive to performing sustainable actions will result in more environmentally responsible behaviors.   In my research, I will test this by conducting a survey based on the aforementioned areas of sustainability.  The results determine the driving determinant in student attitude-behavior consistency (or inconsistency) on campus.  

And now, a word from the students!

The sustainability ranking cites I posted yesterday also discuss individual practices at the universities. For example, the Sierra Club published a compilation of student written reports on sustainable practices at their individual schools. Each one of their judging criteria for ranking the schools is highlighted in a particular school.

University of Colorado, Boulder has a student directed recycling program and was the first university for students to implement the Green Fund Fee in order to provide bike sharing, a better bus system, and biofuels in vehicles.

Yale is known for their sustainable food practices. They have a garden market that sells goods locally and is used on campus. 49% of the food used at Yale is local, seasonal and organic. The negative aspect of this is that some students complain it costs too much and there is not enough variety.

Harvard is known for their efficiency. They have implemented moisture sensing water sprinkler systems, compact fluorescent bulbs, solar panels on roofs of buildings, and have 17 LEED certified buildings. Although students do not fully appreciate LEED certified buildings, it raises awareness for sustainability with students. They also have the “Environmental Action Committee”, which is an organization that conducts student run sustainability projects.

UCLA is known for their waste management. They have come up with a “Waste Watchers” program that weighs the dining hall leftovers to educate students on the amount of food that is wasted.


Georgia Tech excels in academic sustainability. They provide many choices of good courses on renewable energy, and have clubs that raise awareness and have unique opportunities. Students participate in projects such as improving recycling bins, making jewelry from waste, and studying the environmental impact of vegetarianism. Students have also won an award for their design of a play pump to pump water in a village.

The New York Times has also published an article related to green practices on college campuses. In the article "Without Cafeteria Trays, Colleges Find Savings" Skidmore College is highlighted. Skidmore went trayless to “save water, cut food waste, soften ambiance, and save money”. Going trayless is a part of an environmental trend and has been described by Joseph Spina of the National Association of College and University Food Services as “a hot thing right now”. In trayless cafeterias, students tend to take less food, which means there is less food waste and a lower cost in food and disposal service for the university. The negative side of this is that students have to go back in line for seconds, so there is an decrease in turnaround.

Universities are also using sports to educate their fans on sustainability. The University of Florida paired with a non-profit organization, Earth Givers, to offset game day emissions. Their program is called “Neutral Gators”. The University of Colorado has a zero waste program at their games. They use only biodegradable containers, wrappers, and other packaging. They also have recycling bins through out the stadium. The University of Colorado has seen an 8% decrease in trash.