Construal-Level perspective on consumers’ donation preferences in relation to the environment and health

The goal of the study is to assess the interrelationship between psychological distance (and closeness) and environmental (and health) concepts as well as to assess the influence of primed distance (vs. closeness) on consumers’ intentions to donate for environmental and health charities. The authors conducted two studies, considering four dimensions of psychological distance. In an Implicit Association Test, they show that it is easier and more natural for consumers to pair distant (vs. close) target words with environment-related stimuli and to pair close (vs. distant) target words with health-related stimuli. An experimental study reveals that environmental (health) charities are supported more when consumers are primed with psychological distance (closeness). The studies extend the literature on Construal Level Theory in relation to psychological distance by showing that psychological distance (vs. closeness) relates to the domains of environment and health, with contrasting effects. These findings have implications for designing social marketing campaigns.