Soer, Nathan (2026) Experiencing Nature, Inspiring Change: A Qualitative Study of Pro-Environmental Motivation. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Effort to promote sustainability often depend on individuals adopting and maintaining pro-environmental behaviors during everyday activities. However, motivation does not always translate into consistent action, and cultural background may shape how people interpret experiences and responsibility. To examine these processes in a concrete context, this qualitative study interviewed 20 Dutch adults (aged 26-80) who had taken a nature-based trip within the previous six months. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants able to reflect in detail on their trip, since this context makes motivation, barriers, and cultural meanings easier to describe. Using Thematic Analysis (TA), semi-structured interviews were analysed. Participants generally described pro-environmental motivation as grounded in personal standards and self-definition, with nature experiences more often reinforcing existing motives than creating entirely new ones. At the same time, sustaining action was frequently constrained by everyday feasibility, especially when sustainable options demanded extra time, money, or effort. Cultural background, discussed mainly in terms of national context and upbringing, shaped what the nature experience meant (e.g. leisure vs. livelihood) and what responses felt realistic afterward. Overall, the study’s contribution is showing that traveling in nature more often reinforces motivation than generates it, while consistent behavior depends on reducing practical friction and recognising that cultural frames shape how motivation is put into practice. In practice, the findings suggest that support should focus on making sustainable choices easier in daily life and adapting interventions to the cultural meanings people attach to nature experiences.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Saila Kumar, S. and Schmitt, A. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Feb 2026 07:47 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Feb 2026 07:47 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/6251 |
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