Factors Influencing Urban Residents’ Intention of Garbage Sorting in China: An Extended TPB by Integrating Expectancy Theory and Norm Activation Model

Huajie Wang, Herong Gui, Chong Ren and Guijian Liu
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Huajie Wang: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Life Science, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
Herong Gui: National Engineering Research Center of Coal Mine Water Hazard Controlling, Suzhou University, Suzhou 234000, China
Chong Ren: School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Guijian Liu: CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: With the deepening of the garbage classification policy strength, making urban household garbage sorting mandatory in China, it is imperative to clarify the key factors affecting the urban residents’ intention to behave in garbage classification. Though it has attracted the attention of researchers, there are still several aspects that need to be supplemented and improved. Thus, this study aims to investigate the critical factors affecting the urban residents’ intention of garbage sorting and develop an extended model of planned behavior by integrating expectancy theory (ET) and norm activation model (NAM). Given the positive externalities of urban residents’ garbage sorting behaviors, awareness of consequences and attribution of responsibility are correspondingly interpreted as environmental benefits (EB) and environmental concerns (EC). The sample data of 668 urban residents who lived in four pilot cities of garbage classification in China were collected and adopted to the structural equation modeling (SEM) with bootstrapping estimation method to assess the causal relationship between variables. The results indicated that the expectation (Exp) was a significant positive predictor of garbage sorting intention. Attitude (AT), perceived behavior control (PBC) and subjective norm (SN) positively affected urban residents’ expectation of garbage sorting, with SN having the most significant direct impact. The results also found that the EB has significant influences EC, which strongly influences urban residents’ expectation of garbage sorting. Furthermore, the total effect of EC on Exp is higher than other paths, and the mediating effect of SN on Exp by AT and PBC is greater than other indirect paths, which accounted for about 27.1% of the total effect. Finally, we discuss both theoretical and practical implications, along with recommendations for future research.

Keywords: garbage classification intention; theory of planned behavior; expectancy theory; environmental benefits; environmental concerns (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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