Social Sustainability
Values-Beliefs-Norms (VBN) Theory
Stern's causal chain linking deep values through ecological beliefs and awareness of consequences to personal norms and environmental action.
Definition
Values-beliefs-norms theory, developed by Paul Stern and colleagues (1999), explains pro-environmental behaviour as a causal chain: relatively stable values (biospheric, altruistic, egoistic) shape general ecological beliefs (the New Ecological Paradigm), which shape awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility, which activate personal norms — feelings of moral obligation — that drive behaviour, from consumer choices to activism and policy support.
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