From Sustainable Hype to Sustainable Reality: Exploring the Gap Between Intent and Behaviour Among the “Oat Milk Elite"

Abstract

Climate change has far reached implications for humans and nature, such as, extreme weather and climate refugees. This worries many Dutch people (65%), especially because of the country's susceptibility to flooding. However, despite their concerns and good intentions, many people seem unable to change their unsustainable behaviour. Felix Wolf points out that there is much knowledge about proponents and opponents of climate change, but little about the middle group: people with pro-environment attitudes (PEI) who are not yet actively contributing. One example is the oat milk elite (OME): young people who see sustainability as a trend and take sustainable actions only if it fits within their lifestyle. This research looks at the effect of being OME on the relationship between PEI and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). Regression analyses and a regression analysis with moderation were utilized to understand the relationship between intent and behaviour and the influence of being OME on this. The research found a positive relationship between intent and behaviour and found that being part of the OME strengthens this. Overall, those who are part of the OME exhibit lower levels of PEB for lower levels of PEI and higher levels of PEB for high levels of intent compared to the non-oat milk elite. Intentions play a more important role for PEB among the OME than among those who are not OME. This is due to the fact that being OME comes with social pressure to fit in a certain lifestyle in which sustainability is not the most important thing, being trendy is. When PEI is then low PEB remains low as well.