Spatial differentiation and driving mechanisms of urban household waste separation behavior in Shanghai, China

Xiaonan Wang, Shian-Yang Tzeng and Abbas Mardani

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2022, vol. 181, issue C

Abstract: Based on the theory of planned behavior, numerous driving forces of separation behavior have been demonstrated; however, spatial differentiation and information behavior warrant further investigation. This study focused on examining how internal factors (e.g., subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), external factors (e.g., perceived effectiveness of grass-roots governance (PGE), information publicity (IP)), and spatial differentiation factors affected waste separation behavior (WSB) in residents. Accordingly, a theoretical model was constructed to analyze 2555 valid questionnaires collected from 16 districts in Shanghai, revealing the following results: (1) Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control indirectly affect WSB only through offline behavioral intentions; (2) PGE and IP have direct and indirect effects on WSB through both on- and offline behavioral intentions; and, (3) Under the moderating effects of house prices and age in megacities, PGE and IP exhibited irregular and U-shaped effects, respectively. In addition, the results indicate spatial differences in WSB as a function of the neighborhood (stranger, acquaintance, and semi-acquaintance neighborhoods) and as a driving mechanism (weak mobilization–strong participation, strong mobilization–strong participation, and strong mobilization–weak participation). These findings provide a reference for formulating targeted waste separation policies, improving social mobilization mechanisms, ensuring timely information dissemination, and achieving sustainable household WSB.

Keywords: Waste source separation; Information publicity; Neighborhood spatial differentiation; Offline behavioral intentions; Online behavioral intentions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:181:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522002785

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121753

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