Comparison of Self-Reported Recycling Attitudes and Behaviors with Actual Behavior

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the congruence of 102 college students' self-reported paper-recycling behaviors and attitudes with actual behavior. The hypothesis that college students would report positive attitudes toward paper recycling and associated behaviors in a survey was supported. Unobtrusive observation, however, indicated that self-reports did not predict actual paper recycling for most respondents. Only 14 students who had previously reported prorecycling attitudes and behaviors were observed to recycle. The implications of the results for research on college students' recycling and conservation behavior are discussed.