Spiritual intelligence fosters green actions : the role of nature connectedness in shaping pro-environmental behavior

Abstract

This study examines the relations among spiritual intelligence (SI), connectedness to nature (CN), and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) in a sample of 251 Indonesian university students. Employing a cross-sectional design, the study utilized a two-step analytical approach involving Rasch analysis to validate scale reliability and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the structural model. Rasch analysis confirmed the robustness of the SI, CN, and PEB instruments, continuing the transformation of raw data into logit scores. Descriptive and correlational results indicated moderate positive associations among the three constructs. PLS-SEM analysis revealed a positive relation between SI and PEB (β = 0.251, p < 0.001) and a strong relation between SI and CN (β = 0.576, p < 0.001). Additionally, CN was positively related to PEB (β = 0.280, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis also indicated that CN partially mediates the relation between SI and PEB, suggesting that SI relates to green action through heightened ecological connectedness. The model explained a moderate level of variance (R2 = 0.332 for CN; R2 = 0.222 for PEB) with adequate predictive relevance. Theoretically, this study integrates SI into environmental psychology literature. Practically, the findings emphasize the role of spiritual reflection and nature connectedness in fostering sustainable behaviors among Indonesian youth.