The Influence of Message Framing on Residents’ Waste Separation Willingness—The Mediating Role of Moral Identity

Wei Li, Si Chen, Zhihao Wang, Guomin Li and Xiaoguang Liu
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Wei Li: School of Economics and Management, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Si Chen: School of Economics and Management, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Zhihao Wang: School of Economics and Management, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Guomin Li: School of Economics and Management, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Xiaoguang Liu: School of Economics and Management, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: With serious environmental problems increasing, waste separation has drawn much attention. Message framing is an important way to popularize separation knowledge and increase people’s separation willingness. Message framing was classified into positive and negative frames in this study, and then based on moral identity theory from the social cognitive perspective, two dimensions of moral identity were introduced as mediating variables to construct a mechanism model of the influence of message framing on waste separation willingness. After a comparative study of three groups of subjects (N = 604), the following conclusions were drawn: (1) message framing positively influenced moral identity and waste separation willingness; (2) both positive and negative message framing positively influenced waste separation willingness through the partial mediating role of moral identity symbolization and internalization; and (3) the mediating role of symbolization was stronger in the effect of positive message framing on waste separation willingness, while the mediating role of internalization was stronger in the effect of negative message framing on waste separation willingness. The findings provide significant information for organizations to effectively carry out message strategies.

Keywords: message framing; moral identity; waste separation willingness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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