Littering behaviour: A systematic review

Littering is a widespread problem that has negative consequences for the wellbeing of society and has been discussed in a wide range of subject areas. However, the lack of a unified understanding of the literature on littering presents an opportunity for a synthesis of the literature. This systematic review integrated the findings from 70 journal articles spanning 48 years. The articles were analysed for use of theories, models, methods, locations of study, variables and study findings. The researchers also undertook a content analysis of the literature to understand the evolution of approaches across time. The findings show that situational and psychological factors have often been studied using the ‘Focus Theory of Normative Conduct’ and the ‘Integrative Behaviour Model’. However, the findings have been inconsistent, with varying results for some of the situational, psychological and administrative factors. The content analysis identified that the literature from 1971 to 2006 was mostly confined to developed countries (80%) with the majority of studies examining situational and psychological factors. The gaps in the literature provided a basis for proposing five future research directions including the development of social marketing interventions by improving the theoretical groundings of previous works. As littering is consumer behaviour, it is also important to investigate the role of businesses as an integral part of the consumer exchange process to assist in improving the situation. The detailed future research directions and the conclusions of the review are presented.