Impact of energy policies on residential low-carbon behaviors by considering Place attachment: Evidence from China

Alin Lin, Jiankun Lou, Erli Zeng, Dongze Li and Liqun Zheng

Energy & Environment, 2025, vol. 36, issue 1, 425-447

Abstract: Human activities are the primary source of energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. Adopting low-carbon behaviors (LCBs) can effectively reduce carbon emissions, which in turn helps alleviate environmental problems. Previous research shows that low-carbon policies can promote LCBs, while an extensive understanding of the effects of multi-types of low-carbon policies on various LCBs needs to be verified. Analyses on influencing factors regarding LCBs are dominated before, and place attachment and low-carbon behavioral intention as the influencing factors of LCBs, their relationship with low-carbon policy and LCBs needs to be clarified. By taking a questionnaire survey of residents of Hangzhou, China, this study presents a conceptual framework capable of analyzing the relationship between three types of low-carbon policies, including information policy, economic policy, and administrative regulations, and two types of LCBs, including low-carbon consumption (LCCB) and travel (LCTB) behavior, considering the mediation effect of place attachment and low-carbon behavioral intention in a single structural equation model. The results illustrate that administrative regulations and information policy have a direct positive impact on LCCB, and information policy has the most significant influence. Economic policy and administrative regulations directly impact LCTB, and administrative regulations have the most significant influence. The influence of administrative regulations on LCTB is more excellent than on LCCB. Information policy indirectly affects two types of LCBs through the chain mediation effect of place attachment and low-carbon behavioral intention. The results should be helpful to low-carbon policymakers seeking to promote LCBs to consider the importance of place attachment and various low-carbon policies. Moreover, they enrich our understanding of the influencing mechanism of LCBs.

Keywords: Energy-related policy tools; low-carbon consumption behavior; low-carbon travel behavior; place attachment; low-carbon behavioral intention; structural equation modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:engenv:v:36:y:2025:i:1:p:425-447

DOI: 10.1177/0958305X231183683

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