Why should I? How victim sensitivity affects pro-environmental engagement

Perceiving injustice is a reliable predictor of pro-environmental engagement; however, research on the relation between justice-related personality facets and pro-environmental engagement is scarce. Based on theoretical considerations and prior research, we suggest that victim sensitivity – the sensitivity to self-related injustice – triggers two distinct psychological processes that can promote or impede pro-environmental engagement. Studies 1 (N = 386) and 2 (N = 617) tested the hypothesis that people high in victim sensitivity show increased pro-environmental engagement when they feel personally disadvantaged by climate change consequences. Study 3 (N = 278) tested the hypothesis that victim-sensitive individuals show decreased pro-environmental engagement due to a heightened fear of being exploited. The results of these three studies do, by and large, not support our theoretical reasoning. We discuss challenges in experimentally scrutinizing the psychological processes, theoretical and methodological insights, and possible avenues for future research.