Energy Conservation: Family Values, Household Practices and Contextual Variables

This study contributed to testing the family management conceptual framework, i.e., relation ships among values, contextual variables and management practices. Primary research objectives were to determine: (1) if differences existed in the adoption rate of household energy conservation practices in families with varying husband‐wife commitment to values; (2) if adoption of energy conservation practices varied with contextual variables. Survey data collected from 157 families in a multistage probability sample were used. Based on multivariate statistical analyses, the value of eco‐consciousness was found to be a predictor of energy conservation behavior. The value of eco‐ consciousness was positively related to wife's education, husband's education and his occupation. Although the model is incomplete, it is postulated that a holistic model of management can be built with empirical support found in partial models. 1979 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences