Widening the moral circle: perceived responsibility and guilt as mediators of moral expansiveness and pro-environmental behavior

Previous research has shown that moral constructs, such as personal norms, play a significant role in shaping individuals’ pro-environmental engagement. However, the specific influence of moral expansiveness on such behaviors has received limited attention in the existing literature. This study aims to investigate the relationship between moral expansiveness and pro-environmental engagement within the Turkish context, which is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It specifically examines the mediating roles of perceived environmental responsibility and environmental guilt to better understand the mechanisms underlying this association. In total, 244 undergraduate students (167 women, 76 men, 1 did not state; Mage = 21.95, SDage = 2.58) participated in the current study in exchange for course credit. Findings indicated that moral expansiveness indirectly predicted pro-environmental behaviors through both perceived environmental responsibility and environmental guilt, although its direct effect was not significant. Perceived environmental responsibility and environmental guilt both significantly predicted pro-environmental behaviors. Additionally, individuals with more left-leaning political views reported higher levels of pro-environmental behavior. This study highlights how broader moral concern can support sustainability, while contributing to the inclusion of non-Western contexts in environmental psychology.