Editing Cognitive dissonance (section)

=== Littering ===
Disposing of trash outside, even when knowing this is against the law, wrong, and is harmful for the environment, is a prominent example of cognitive dissonance, especially if the person feels bad after [[littering]] but continues to do so.

Between November 2015 and March 2016, a study by Xitou Nature Education Area in Taiwan examined littering of tourists. Researchers analyzed the relationships between tourists' environmental attitudes, cognitive dissonance, and [[vandalism]].<ref name=":4" /> In this study, 500 questionnaires were distributed and 499 questionnaires were returned.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Jing-Han |last2=Lin |first2=Hsing-Wei |last3=Liu |first3=Wan-Yu |date=2020-11-01 |title=Tourists' environmental vandalism and cognitive dissonance in a National Forest Park |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866720306622 |journal=Urban Forestry & Urban Greening |language=en |volume=55 |pages=126845 |doi=10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126845 |bibcode=2020UFUG...5526845W |s2cid=225297238 |issn=1618-8667|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The results of this study indicate that older tourists had better attitudes towards the environment and cared more. The tourists who were older and cared more for outdoor activities were less likely to litter. On the other hand, the younger tourists littered more and experienced more cognitive dissonance.<ref name=":4" /> This study showed that younger tourists littered more as a whole and regretted or thought about it after.<ref name=":4" />