Enhancing Ocean-Friendly Behavior: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Responsibility Attributions among Residents and Tourists on the French Mediterranean Sea Coast

A key element of Ocean Literacy is fostering ocean-friendly behavior to mitigate human impacts on marine ecosystems. Although self-efficacy and responsibility attributions are known to influence pro-environmental behaviors, research in the marine context remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the self-efficacy beliefs of tourists and residents of the French Mediterranean coast (N = 405) regarding their ocean-friendly behavior and responsibility attributions for ocean conservation. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews in Hyères and the Giens Peninsula, France. Statistical analyses showed that individuals with strong ocean-preserving self-efficacy reported significantly higher engagement in ocean-friendly behavior. Age showed a minor but significant negative correlation with self-efficacy beliefs. Self-efficacy and gender were significant predictors for attributing responsibility. However, this appears to apply only to the responsibility attributed to individuals, locals and tourists and the institutions of the European Union. Finally, a significant positive correlation between responsibility attribution and ocean-friendly behavior was observed only for responsibility assigned to industry and businesses. The findings underscore the role of self-efficacy in promoting ocean-friendly behaviors and suggest that tailored interventions—considering factors such as gender and age—along with addressing varying attributions of responsibility, could enhance conservation efforts among coastal residents and tourists in France.