Impact of Urban Residents’ Environmental Cognition on Voluntary Carbon-Reduction Behavior: The Mediating Role of Environmental Emotion

Ting Yue (), Qianru Wang, Ruyin Long (), Hong Chen, Mengting Li and Haiwen Liu
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Ting Yue: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Qianru Wang: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Ruyin Long: School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Hong Chen: School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Mengting Li: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Haiwen Liu: School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: Urban residents play an essential role in the carbon-reduction process, and it is significant to effectively guide them to reduce carbon voluntarily to achieve the “double carbon” target. In this study, a model was developed to investigate the influence of the environmental cognition (EC), environmental emotion (EE), and voluntary carbon-reduction behavior (VCB) of urban residents. Based on a sample of 978 urban residents in Jiangsu province, we used a multiple regression analysis to investigate the mechanisms of EC and EE on VCB. The results showed that: (1) both EC and EE positively affected residents’ VCB, and EC had a higher impact than EE; (2) the three dimensions of EC (cognition for carbon-reduction knowledge, cognition for environmental issues, and cognition for individual responsibility) and the two dimensions of EE (positive environmental emotion and negative environmental emotion) all had a significant positive effect on voluntary carbon-reduction behavior; and (3) EE played a partial mediating role in the relationship between EC and VCB, and there was no significant difference in the strength of the mediating effect between positive and negative environmental emotion. In conclusion, raising environmental awareness and stimulating environmental emotion have the potential to promote voluntary carbon-reduction behavior among residents.

Keywords: voluntary carbon-reduction behavior; environmental emotion; environmental cognition (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 (1)

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