The Pro-Environmental Intention-Behaviour Relationship in Institutional Contexts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Across Country-Income Groups

: Understanding the conditions under which pro-environmental intentions are associated with actual behaviour remains a central challenge in management and behavioural research.. Addressing this gap, this study examines the intention–behaviour association by performing a worldwide meta-analysis under the domain of pro-environmental behaviour. Drawing on a sample of 52 studies included in the meta-analysis (and 145 studies in the systematic review), with an evidence base predominantly comprising institutionally oriented studies; we estimate the strength of intention–behaviour association as a whole, and study the moderating effect of structural variables, namely country-income classification (developing, emerging, and high-income economies) and institutional/campus context. The findings demonstrate a statistically significant positive pooled association; however, the substantial between-study heterogeneity (I 2 = 99%, τ 2 = 0.08; 95% prediction interval = −0.18 to 0.96) demonstrates that the magnitude of the intention–behaviour relationship varies considerably across contexts. Therefore, the pooled estimate should be interpreted as an average effect rather than a universal behavioural relationship. Subgroup analyses suggest descriptively stronger intention–behaviour associations in institutional (campus-based) settings. A mixed-effects meta-regression identified an exploratory study-level association between institutional/campus context and the magnitude of the intention–behaviour relationship (β = 0.186, SE = 0.077, z = 2.42, p = 0.015), while substantial residual heterogeneity remained. Country-income subgroup analyses indicated descriptive differences in pooled associations across income classifications; however, the between-group differences were not statistically significant. The results contribute to management theory by reconceptualizing the ‘intention–action gap’ as a structurally contingent phenomenon rather than a failure of individual motivation. The findings suggest that contextual characteristics of institutional environments may be relevant to understanding variation in intention–behaviour associations, while further evidence is needed to establish the mechanisms underlying this association.