Regional Disparities in Environmental Attitudes: The Role of Social Capital and Individual Agency in Italy

Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), this paper investigates the theoretical and empirical relationship between social capital, individual agency (i.e. perceived behavioural control) and environmentally responsible behaviour (ERB) in Italian regions. Social capital is measured using indicators of generalised trust, trust in government, and voting behaviour. The analysis tests three hypotheses: (H1) social capital and ERB: social capital is positively associated with behavioural intentions toward environmentally responsible behaviour; (H2) perceived behavioural control and ERB: perceived behavioural control positively affects environmentally responsible behaviour both directly and indirectly through behavioural intentions; and (H3) mediated structure of ERB: ERB is shaped by a mediated process in which social capital influences behavioural intentions, while perceived behavioural control affects both intentions and actual behaviour. The empirical analysis further explores whether these relationships differ across macro-regions and across individual and social forms of ERB. Data come from an ad hoc survey representative at the Italian regional level (5,555 observations). ERB is examined along three dimensions: individual behaviours, referring to everyday choices such as reducing waste, using reusable products, or opting for more sustainable transport options; social behaviours, reflecting participation in environmental initiatives, civic activities, and awareness-raising actions; and an overall measure that combines these dimensions into a single indicator of environmental responsibility. Findings indicate that social capital is consistently and positively associated with environmentally responsible behaviour, primarily through its effect on behavioural intentions. However, important differences emerge across behavioural domains and territorial contexts. Individual ERB is more prevalent in Northern Italy, where perceived behavioural control is higher, whereas social ERB is stronger in the South despite higher perceived barriers to action. Structural equation estimates further reveal that perceived behavioural control affects individual and social ERB in opposite ways: perceived barriers discourage private pro-environmental behaviours but are positively associated with collective and civic forms of environmental engagement. These results suggest that environmental concern does not automatically translate into the same type of environmental action. Rather, the form that environmental engagement takes depends on both agency and social context. In environments characterised by lower trust and weaker institutional effectiveness, individuals appear less likely to undertake private behavioural changes and more likely to express environmental engagement through collective action and civic participation. Conversely, in high-trust contexts with greater perceived agency, environmental concern is more likely to translate into individual behavioural change.

The seminar series is organized by the Section Economics of Wageningen University (consisting of the groups Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy, Development Economics, Urban Economics, Environmental Economics and Natural Resources, and Economic and Environmental History).

The seminar is aiming to foster the exchange on recent topics in the field of economics. We consider contributions from all fields of economic research and invite speakers from Wageningen, the Netherlands and abroad.

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