Determinants of Residents’ Approach–Avoidance Responses to the Personal Carbon Trading Scheme: An Empirical Analysis of Urban Residents in Eastern China

Daoyan Guo, Hong Chen, Ruyin Long and Shaohui Zou
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Daoyan Guo: Centre for Energy Economics and Management Research, School of Management, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
Hong Chen: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Ruyin Long: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Shaohui Zou: Centre for Energy Economics and Management Research, School of Management, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: The personal carbon trading (PCT) scheme is a policy instrument for reducing downstream carbon emissions and creating a green lifestyle, and a bottleneck hampering its implementation is the behavioral willingness of residents. Due to a pre-existing stimulus-response association, the willingness of residents can be intuitively reflected by their approach–avoidance responses. This study theoretically analyzed the mechanisms for influencing residents’ approach–avoidance responses towards the personal carbon trading scheme based on open-ended interviews, and empirically examined the mechanisms by developing rating scales and conducting questionnaire surveys on urban residents in eastern China. Findings showed that residents’ approach–avoidance responses could be negatively affected by their preference for comfort, whereas they were positively impacted by their ecological values, sense of social responsibility, cognition of the behaviors for carbon emission reduction, and cognition of personal carbon trading. In terms of subjective norms, the culture of environmentalism had a positive effect on residents’ responses to PCT scheme, while the culture of consumerism caused a negative impact on their responses. Furthermore, the perceived behavioral controls of residents partially mediated the relationships between their psychological characteristics and approach–avoidance responses. Finally, primary and pivotal suggestions were proposed for nudging Chinese urban residents towards approaching the personal carbon trading scheme, which provide theoretical support and practical guidance for its implementation.

Keywords: behavioral willingness; downstream carbon emissions; empirical analysis; government policy; personal carbon trading scheme (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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