Kovách, I.; Megyesi, B. (2025) The Interconnections Among Environmental Attitudes, Sustainable Energy Use, and Climate Change Perception with Socio-Demographic Characteristics. Energies 2025, 18(22), 6024; (Q1; IF: 3.2) https://doi.org/10.3390/en18226024. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/22/6024

Abstract 

 

This study explores the interconnections among environmental attitudes, climate change perceptions, and willingness to pay (WTP) for environmentally friendly energy sources in Hungary. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 2000 adults, we integrate socio-demographic, attitudinal perspectives to examine how social structure, identity, and moral norms shape pro-environmental behaviour. Factor analysis identified four key attitudinal dimensions—environmental self-identity, perceived governmental environmental awareness, personal norms, and social norms—incorporated into a series of linear and logistic regression models. The results show that education and urban residence underpin environmental identity and moral commitment, while income and social capital exert no direct influence. Environmental self-identity is the strongest predictor of the WTP, nearly doubling the likelihood of financial support for greener energy, while personal norms play a secondary but meaningful role. Climate change scepticism significantly reduces the WTP, whereas awareness alone does not, suggesting that knowledge without moral engagement is insufficient to drive behaviour. Interaction effects reveal contextual variation, with settlement type moderating the link between attitudes and behaviour. Overall, the findings demonstrate that pro-environmental action depends less on material capacity than on internalized moral and identity-based motivations, underscoring the importance of strengthening environmental identity and trust-based engagement to advance the energy transition.