Encouraging Vietnamese Household Recycling Behavior: Insights and Implications

The Ninh Nguyen, Hoang Viet Nguyen, Antonio Lobo and Son Dao ()
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The Ninh Nguyen: Faculty of Marketing, Vietnam University of Commerce, Ho Tung Mau Road, Hanoi 122414, Vietnam
Antonio Lobo: Faculty of Business and Law, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: This research aims to provide new insights into various determinants affecting household recycling. By focusing on Vietnam, this research also extends knowledge about sustainable behavior in emerging markets, which are the major culprits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Hypotheses were developed as a result of the critical review of relevant studies in the fields of marketing, psychology, and economics, and then tested using a quantitative survey data. Structured questionnaires were administered to Vietnamese respondents which yielded 486 usable responses. Multivariate statistics reveal that all the determinants influenced their recycling behavior except for moral norms. Attitude towards the importance of recycling exerted the strongest influence, followed by subjective norms and warm glow respectively. On the other hand, attitude towards the inconvenience of recycling significantly reduced recycling behavior. The research findings have important implications for strategies aimed at promoting recycling behavior. Communication and education programs should emphasize how household recycling contributes to environmental protection, as well as stress intrinsic rewards when recycling. Public media campaigns should feature opinion leaders and attractive communicators, who can effectively apply social pressure to perform recycling behavior. Organizations should also make every effort to make recycling more convenient.

Keywords: recycling behavior; attitudes; norms; warm glow; emerging markets; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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