Domestic energy-saving behavior index as sustainability indicator: Are Russians ready for sacrifices to protect the environment?

ABSTRACT

In recent years, it became clear that the human unsustainable behaviours’ impact on the environment. Environment protected behavior is especially relevant in the context of the current epidemiological situation ushered by the COVID-19. Environmental awareness is becoming a part of everyday life. The time has come when it is necessary to sacrifice the comfort for the future of the planet. This study primarily focuses on the attitudes of residents of a typical Russian industrial city towards environmental issues and the use of the Energy-Saving Behavior Index (ESBI) as an environmental indicator of sustainable behavior. Our work investigates ESBI and the factors which are associated with domestic energy-saving behavior. We surveyed 599 people in Chelyabinsk, Russia. We studied (1) the socio-demographic factors of residents and their households, (2) mental health and subjective well-being (SWB), and (3) physical health. The study showed that the overwhelming majority of residents of a typical Russian city are extremely dissatisfied with the state of the environment (more than 80% of respondents) and 70% of them believe that they can contribute to improving the situation. However, Russians are still wasteful in household energy consumption. It has been shown that unstable behavior is due to psychological factors and has a compensatory mechanism that is connected with the “feelings-emotions-behavior” sequence.