Drivers of Eco‐Guilt Among Travellers. A Mixed‐Method Investigation Using Self‐Perception Theory

作者：Jun Zhou, Mohd Sadiq, P. Shah, E. Alzeiby, Jagannath Mohanty · 发表于：Business Strategy and the Environment · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1002/bse.70691

Eco‐guilt refers to the feeling of moral unease that travellers experience when they realise their own role in causing environmental damage. Although several studies have examined pro‐environmental behaviour, this emotion has not received sufficient attention in the context of tourism and travel. The present study attempts to understand how emotional connection with nature and individual value‐based orientations are related to the feeling of eco‐guilt. The research applies the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework and examines how nature connectivity, sustainable self‐perception and sustainable orientation influence eco‐guilt, along with the moderating role of environmental knowledge in these relationships. A sequential mixed‐method design was adopted, which combined both quantitative and qualitative phases. The model was empirically tested through data collected from 331 travellers who participated through the Prolific platform followed by a post hoc qualitative analysis through open‐ended essays. The results indicate that eco‐guilt emerges only when an emotional bond with nature coincides with concrete awareness of harm and affect travellers' perception and orientation towards sustainability. The findings highlight that stronger environmental knowledge amplifies the translation of nature connectivity into sustainable self‐perception and sustainable orientation, thereby shaping the intensity of eco‐guilt. This paper contributes to the literature on moral emotions in...