Exploring the Effects of Time and Money Pressures on Environmentally Responsible Behavior within a Group Resource Conservation Context

Abstract

Resources we use every day such as air and water are public resources so we are all active participants in the commons. A commons dilemma is a situation in which an individual has a choice between boosting personal gain and prolonging the common resource for the good of the commons and all who share it. Commons dilemma research is thus extremely relevant to the well-being of the natural environment. Participating in socially and ecologically responsible behavior involves costs. Individuals are often confronted with inconveniences when it comes to choosing to act in an environmentally-friendly manner. The present study examines the effect of time and money cost on cooperation decisions in traditional and reverse commons dilemmas. The reverse commons dilemma features a polluting scenario, and is designed to examine how individuals respond to limited disposal rather than resource withdrawal. Previous research using a different paradigm has shown that money and time cost might not be valued in quite the same way. The results of the present study indicated an interaction between cost type (money vs. time) and dilemma type (traditional vs. reverse commons dilemma): The most cooperation was observed for time cost in the reverse commons dilemma task. These findings suggest that individuals may be more willing to devote time than money in keeping a resource un-polluted. Keywords: commons dilemma, reverse commons dilemma, time, money