Vicarious Environmental Experiences Influence Attitudes and Pursuit of Experiential Benefits
Environmental attitudes, which are feelings or beliefs about the environment, can influence environmental behaviors. Environmental behaviors can range from outdoor recreational activities or donating money to environmental causes. Previous research shows that direct outdoor experiences have a strong influence on environmental attitudes and behavior. But little is known about whether vicarious environmental education (EE) experiences, such as reading an environmentally-focused book or watching a nature program on TV, have the same effect.