‘Baby, you really drive your car’: The importance of personal benefits in the adoption of a low-carbon mobility lifestyle

Better understanding the factors that affect the adoption, or not, of low-carbon mobility lifestyles is fundamental to the development of new policies and strategies. Thus, this research analyzes the effect of individual values and human capabilities on the adoption of low-carbon mobility lifestyles in Brazil. It presents two studies in a mixed methods and interdisciplinary approach. Study 1 applied structural equation modeling with data from an online cross-sectional survey (N = 507); and Study 2 used projective techniques, interviewing 20 individuals among Brazilians. While the first study analyzed the effect of values, the second study provided insights related to the constitution of these values. The findings suggest that egoistic values have a more consistent relevance for mobility lifestyles than altruistic and biospheric values: mainly because Brazilians seem to associate owning a car with the personal advantages of status and convenience. Capabilities seem to be less strongly associated with low-carbon lifestyle adoption, which might indicate a deficiency of city infrastructure and the need to strengthen mobility policies. Unexpectedly, egoistic values also presented greater motivation to adopt a low-carbon mobility lifestyle than biospheric and altruistic values. Thus, low-carbon options appealing to egoistic motivation should be made more attractive by, for example, stimulating carpooling in schools and workplaces, expanding the opportunities for hybrid and work-from-home jobs, and making fuel-efficient cars more attractive. These strategies, however, should not exclude altruistic and biospheric motivation, as they are important in stimulating long term commitment to low-carbon lifestyles.