Does Subjective Well-Being Promote Pro-Environmental Behaviors? Evidence from Rural Residents in China

Xi Ouyang, Wen’e Qi, Donghui Song and Jianjun Zhou
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Xi Ouyang: National School of Agricultural Institution and Development, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Wen’e Qi: College of Economics and Management, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Donghui Song: National School of Agricultural Institution and Development, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jianjun Zhou: School of Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 100081, China

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

Abstract: The spontaneous pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of rural residents is essential for rural environmental governance. Existing studies have primarily focused on the impact of objective factors on individual PEB, while less attention has been paid to the role of subjective factors, such as rural residents’ subjective well-being, in shaping such behaviors. Based on the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data, this study evaluates the impact of subjective well-being on the PEB of rural residents. The results show that subjective well-being significantly promoted the PEB in both the private sphere with reciprocity and the public sphere with altruistic attributes. Subjective well-being affected PEB mainly by enhancing rural residents’ social interaction and reciprocity with others and raising their fraternity and altruism. Moreover, the positive effect was mainly driven by women and individuals with more environmental knowledge. Therefore, enhancing rural residents’ subjective well-being is not only an important development goal, but also the starting point and foothold of solving the contradiction between economic development and environmental protection and promoting social harmony.

Keywords: subjective well-being; pro-environmental behavior; reciprocal; altruism; rural residents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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