Psychological time and pro-environmental behavior (on example of «green» purchasing behavior of the youth)

Context and relevance. The deterioration of the global environmental situation and the growing concern of the community have led to the need to change the daily economic behavior of people. Among the psychological variables that influence the choice of pro-environmental consumer behavior time perspective, or psychological time, is noted. This phenomenon is poorly understood in relation to environmentally responsible behavior that is why the objective of this study is to identify the association between psychological time and environmentally responsible purchasing behavior of young people. Methods and materials. To study the level of environmental purchasing behavior, the “Green scale” (Haws, Winterich, Naylor) specially adapted for the Russian sample was used. To study the cognitive component of psychological time Temporal Focus Scale (Shipp, Edwards, Lamber) was used, affective component was diagnosed using Attitudes toward time by Nuttin. Results. The results of the comparative analysis (N = 223) show the tendency of increasing focus on past events and thinking about the future of students with a higher level of environmentally responsible purchasing behavior. The value of environmental consumption increases with an assessment of the past as more meaningful, hopeful, speedy and more difficult. The results of the discriminant analysis allowed to identify two factors that affects the preference of “green” purchases of young people — past attitude and past focus. Students who are more likely to turn to their own experience and see the past in more positive colors, tend to think about not harming nature, save the resources of the planet when planning purchases. Conclusions. The study broadens the understanding of time predicators of pro-environmental behavior, allowing us to see the role of personal experience and economic socialization.