Environmental concern has a weaker association with pro-environmental behavior in some societies than others: A cross-cultural psychology perspective

•Magnitude of the environmental concern-behavior association varies across societies.•It was weaker in societies with stronger distrust and belief in external control.•Also, it was weaker in societies with stronger present orientation.•It was stronger in societies with higher levels of individualism and looseness.

Studies have demonstrated that environmental concern does not always translate into pro-environmental behavior. This concern-behavior gap results partly from the influences of psychological barriers. Based on the cross-cultural psychology literature, we propose that these barriers also reflect some general psychological orientations that are culturally patterned. In support of our hypotheses, we found with data from 32 countries that the association between concern and behavior was weaker in societies characterized by higher levels of distrust, belief in external control, and present orientation. In addition, we observed that the concern-behavior association was stronger in societies with higher levels of individualism and looseness. These findings deepen the understanding of the concern-behavior association and psychological barriers. They also highlight the benefits of integrating insights from cross-cultural psychology into environmental psychology research and inform environmental practice.