Ellen van der Werff
Biographic Data
| ID | 6569018 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ellen van der Werff |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ellen |
| FAMILY NAME | van der Werff |
| SIGNATURE | VAN DER WERFF E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Groningen |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0294-813X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 86 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Mechanisms of Pro-Environmental Behavioural Spillover
If one pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) influences subsequent behaviours, this spillover effect holds significant implications for environmental policies. This paper systematically examines the psychological mechanisms underpinning PEB spillover by testing a comprehensive set of mediators within the same empirical framework. Studies were conducted in Norway ( N = 1,574) and Germany ( N = 1,938), using correlational and experimental designs. The …
Adding Dynamic Norm to Environmental Information in Messages Promoting the Reduction of Meat Consumption
Research has shown that dynamic norm information can promote pro-environmental actions (i.e. information indicating that a growing number of people are behaving pro-environmentally). Yet, the question remains whether adding dynamic norm information would increase the effectiveness of information on the environmental consequences of behavior. We compared the effects of environmental information with versus without dynamic norm information on encou…
Corporate environmental responsibility leads to more pro-environmental behavior at work by strengthening intrinsic pro-environmental motivation
The Normative Route to a Sustainable Future: Examining Children’s Environmental Values, Identity and Personal Norms to Conserve Energy
Environmental problems could be reduced if individuals act pro-environmentally. Typically, studies have examined factors explaining pro-environmental behavior among adults, but not among children. As children are the future generations that must meet the targets set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement, it is important to understand which factors influence their engagement in pro-environmental behaviors, such as their energy saving behavior. In tw…
What influences public acceptability of sustainable energy policies? The crucial role of funding and who benefits
Public acceptance of sustainable energy policies is critical for successfully transitioning towards a sustainable energy system. However, relatively little is known about when and why people find energy policies acceptable. We examined to what extent policy characteristics and individual motivational factors influence sustainable energy policy acceptability among a representative sample in the Netherlands. Using a within-participants experimental…
Are subsidies for climate action effective? Two case studies in the Netherlands
An often used policy instrument to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation action are subsidies. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent subsidies are effective in motivating behavioural change. Subsidies are effective if they lead to adoption of the behaviour by individuals different from those who would adopt otherwise. On the bases of two theoretical frameworks, we examine the effectiveness of two subsidy schemes in the Netherlands. In…
Pull the plug: How private commitment strategies can strengthen personal norms and promote energy-saving in the Netherlands
We tested the influence of a private commitment strategy, in which people pledge to change their behaviour, on energy saving behaviour. We found that the private commitment only influenced energy saving behaviour when the behaviour was perceived to be relatively effortful. When people found it easy to engage in the behaviour, the private commitment did not promote energy saving behaviour. Importantly, we tested the underlying mechanism why privat…
Beyond purchasing: Electric vehicle adoption motivation and consistent sustainable energy behaviour in The Netherlands
The psychology of participation and interest in smart energy systems: Comparing the value-belief-norm theory and the value-identity-personal norm model
Environmental problems can be reduced if people would participate in smart energy systems. Little is known about which factors motivate people to actually participate in smart energy systems. We tested the factors that influence individuals’ interest and actual participation in smart energy systems. We compared the predictive power of the value-belief-norm theory with a novel model to explain pro-environmental actions: the value-identity-personal…
Understanding the human dimensions of a sustainable energy transition
Global climate change threatens the health, economic prospects, and basic food and water sources of people. A wide range of changes in household energy behavior is needed to realize a sustainable energy transition. We propose a general framework to understand and encourage sustainable energy behaviors, comprising four key issues. First, we need to identify which behaviors need to be changed. A sustainable energy transition involves changes in a w…
I Am What I Am, by Looking Past the Present: The Influence of Biospheric Values and Past Behavior on Environmental Self-Identity
A strong environmental self-identity increases the likelihood of a wide range of proenvironmental actions. But which factors influence identity and can we strengthen it? We propose that the environmental self-identity depends on biospheric values and on past behavior and that the strength of one’s environmental self-identity can be changed somewhat by reminding people of their past environmental behavior. We tested our model in a series of studie…
The Significance of Hedonic Values for Environmentally Relevant Attitudes, Preferences, and Actions
This article aimed to demonstrate that hedonic values are important for understanding environmentally relevant beliefs, preferences, and actions, next to egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric values. In four studies, the authors found consistent support for their hypothesis that hedonic, egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric values can be distinguished empirically, suggesting that the distinction between the four types of values is not only theoret…
One model to predict them all: Predicting energy behaviours with the norm activation model
The value of environmental self-identity: The relationship between biospheric values, environmental self-identity and environmental preferences, intentions and behaviour
It is a moral issue: The relationship between environmental self-identity, obligation-based intrinsic motivation and pro-environmental behaviour
It is a moral issue: The relationship between environmental self-identity, obligation-based intrinsic motivation and pro-environmental behaviour
The psychology of participation and interest in smart energy systems: Comparing the value-belief-norm theory and the value-identity-personal norm model
Environmental problems can be reduced if people would participate in smart energy systems. Little is known about which factors motivate people to actually participate in smart energy systems. We tested the factors that influence individuals’ interest and actual participation in smart energy systems. We compared the predictive power of the value-belief-norm theory with a novel model to explain pro-environmental actions: the value-identity-personal…
Are subsidies for climate action effective? Two case studies in the Netherlands
An often used policy instrument to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation action are subsidies. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent subsidies are effective in motivating behavioural change. Subsidies are effective if they lead to adoption of the behaviour by individuals different from those who would adopt otherwise. On the bases of two theoretical frameworks, we examine the effectiveness of two subsidy schemes in the Netherlands. In…
Pull the plug: How private commitment strategies can strengthen personal norms and promote energy-saving in the Netherlands
We tested the influence of a private commitment strategy, in which people pledge to change their behaviour, on energy saving behaviour. We found that the private commitment only influenced energy saving behaviour when the behaviour was perceived to be relatively effortful. When people found it easy to engage in the behaviour, the private commitment did not promote energy saving behaviour. Importantly, we tested the underlying mechanism why privat…
Beyond purchasing: Electric vehicle adoption motivation and consistent sustainable energy behaviour in The Netherlands
One model to predict them all: Predicting energy behaviours with the norm activation model
What influences public acceptability of sustainable energy policies? The crucial role of funding and who benefits
Public acceptance of sustainable energy policies is critical for successfully transitioning towards a sustainable energy system. However, relatively little is known about when and why people find energy policies acceptable. We examined to what extent policy characteristics and individual motivational factors influence sustainable energy policy acceptability among a representative sample in the Netherlands. Using a within-participants experimental…
The value of environmental self-identity: The relationship between biospheric values, environmental self-identity and environmental preferences, intentions and behaviour
It is a moral issue: The relationship between environmental self-identity, obligation-based intrinsic motivation and pro-environmental behaviour
I Am What I Am, by Looking Past the Present: The Influence of Biospheric Values and Past Behavior on Environmental Self-Identity
A strong environmental self-identity increases the likelihood of a wide range of proenvironmental actions. But which factors influence identity and can we strengthen it? We propose that the environmental self-identity depends on biospheric values and on past behavior and that the strength of one’s environmental self-identity can be changed somewhat by reminding people of their past environmental behavior. We tested our model in a series of studie…
The Significance of Hedonic Values for Environmentally Relevant Attitudes, Preferences, and Actions
This article aimed to demonstrate that hedonic values are important for understanding environmentally relevant beliefs, preferences, and actions, next to egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric values. In four studies, the authors found consistent support for their hypothesis that hedonic, egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric values can be distinguished empirically, suggesting that the distinction between the four types of values is not only theoret…
One model to predict them all: Predicting energy behaviours with the norm activation model
Understanding the human dimensions of a sustainable energy transition
Global climate change threatens the health, economic prospects, and basic food and water sources of people. A wide range of changes in household energy behavior is needed to realize a sustainable energy transition. We propose a general framework to understand and encourage sustainable energy behaviors, comprising four key issues. First, we need to identify which behaviors need to be changed. A sustainable energy transition involves changes in a w…
The psychology of participation and interest in smart energy systems: Comparing the value-belief-norm theory and the value-identity-personal norm model
Environmental problems can be reduced if people would participate in smart energy systems. Little is known about which factors motivate people to actually participate in smart energy systems. We tested the factors that influence individuals’ interest and actual participation in smart energy systems. We compared the predictive power of the value-belief-norm theory with a novel model to explain pro-environmental actions: the value-identity-personal…
Beyond purchasing: Electric vehicle adoption motivation and consistent sustainable energy behaviour in The Netherlands
Pull the plug: How private commitment strategies can strengthen personal norms and promote energy-saving in the Netherlands
We tested the influence of a private commitment strategy, in which people pledge to change their behaviour, on energy saving behaviour. We found that the private commitment only influenced energy saving behaviour when the behaviour was perceived to be relatively effortful. When people found it easy to engage in the behaviour, the private commitment did not promote energy saving behaviour. Importantly, we tested the underlying mechanism why privat…
The Normative Route to a Sustainable Future: Examining Children’s Environmental Values, Identity and Personal Norms to Conserve Energy
Environmental problems could be reduced if individuals act pro-environmentally. Typically, studies have examined factors explaining pro-environmental behavior among adults, but not among children. As children are the future generations that must meet the targets set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement, it is important to understand which factors influence their engagement in pro-environmental behaviors, such as their energy saving behavior. In tw…
What influences public acceptability of sustainable energy policies? The crucial role of funding and who benefits
Public acceptance of sustainable energy policies is critical for successfully transitioning towards a sustainable energy system. However, relatively little is known about when and why people find energy policies acceptable. We examined to what extent policy characteristics and individual motivational factors influence sustainable energy policy acceptability among a representative sample in the Netherlands. Using a within-participants experimental…
Are subsidies for climate action effective? Two case studies in the Netherlands
An often used policy instrument to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation action are subsidies. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent subsidies are effective in motivating behavioural change. Subsidies are effective if they lead to adoption of the behaviour by individuals different from those who would adopt otherwise. On the bases of two theoretical frameworks, we examine the effectiveness of two subsidy schemes in the Netherlands. In…
Adding Dynamic Norm to Environmental Information in Messages Promoting the Reduction of Meat Consumption
Research has shown that dynamic norm information can promote pro-environmental actions (i.e. information indicating that a growing number of people are behaving pro-environmentally). Yet, the question remains whether adding dynamic norm information would increase the effectiveness of information on the environmental consequences of behavior. We compared the effects of environmental information with versus without dynamic norm information on encou…
Corporate environmental responsibility leads to more pro-environmental behavior at work by strengthening intrinsic pro-environmental motivation
Mechanisms of Pro-Environmental Behavioural Spillover
If one pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) influences subsequent behaviours, this spillover effect holds significant implications for environmental policies. This paper systematically examines the psychological mechanisms underpinning PEB spillover by testing a comprehensive set of mediators within the same empirical framework. Studies were conducted in Norway ( N = 1,574) and Germany ( N = 1,938), using correlational and experimental designs. The …
Environmental Education and Sustainability (15 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Political science (10 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Economics (8 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Climate Change Communication and Perception (6 works) · Energy (signal processing (4 works) · Environmental economics (4 works)