Seeing past the tip of your own nose? How outward and self-centred orientations could contribute to closing the green gap despite helplessness

BACKGROUND: The present study explored moderators of the relation between environmental concerns and pro-environmental behaviour that could help close the green gap. METHODS: A sample of 500 individuals (250 women) participated in the study. Apart from socio-demographic characteristics, participants answered questions about their environmental concerns and pro-environmental behaviour, collectivism and individualism, time orientation and emotional responses to climate change. RESULTS: Our results corroborate the view that collectivism, future orientation and prosocial tendencies may form a single component of outward orientation, while individualism and immediate orientation form self-centred orientation. Generally, outwardly oriented individuals and those less self-centred reported more pro-environmental behaviour. However, strongly self-centred individuals, even when reporting elevated helplessness, showed increased involvement in pro-environmental behaviour once their concerns were high. CONCLUSIONS: The study contributes to the literature by pointing out that both outward and self-centred orientations have the potential to insulate individuals against the negative effect helplessness may have on pro-environmental behaviour. This could inform strategies that would both prompt individuals already concerned to act and arouse more concern among those who are not yet preoccupied with climate change. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-023-01128-z.