The Mediating Role of Subjective Norms and Green Self-Efficacy in Marine Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors Among Chinese University Students

Yongtao Gan, Siyi Li, Chang Liu, Jing Deng and Jian Gao ()
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Yongtao Gan: Education, Institute of Higher Education Sciences, Shantou University, College Road 243, Jinping District, Shantou 515063, China
Siyi Li: Education, Institute of Higher Education Sciences, Shantou University, College Road 243, Jinping District, Shantou 515063, China
Chang Liu: Education, Institute of Higher Education Sciences, Shantou University, College Road 243, Jinping District, Shantou 515063, China
Jing Deng: Education, Institute of Higher Education Sciences, Shantou University, College Road 243, Jinping District, Shantou 515063, China
Jian Gao: Education, Institute of Higher Education Sciences, Shantou University, College Road 243, Jinping District, Shantou 515063, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate how subjective norms (SNs) and green self-efficacy (GSE) mediate the relationship between marine environmental attitudes (MEAs) and environmentally friendly behavior (EFB) among Chinese undergraduates, using a cross-sectional survey of 673 university undergraduates from two universities in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the mediation effects between those four constructs. The results showed that SNs (β = 0.352, SE = 0.031, 95% CI [0.218, 0.421], p < 0.001) significantly mediated the relationship between MEA and EFB. In addition, GSE (β = 0.078, SE = 0.038, 95% CI [0.043, 0.091], p < 0.001) mediated the relationship between MEA and EFB to a lesser extent. These findings suggest that interventions targeting both SNs and GSE may be useful to promote greater levels of EFB among Chinese undergraduates, and underline the importance of considering gender, years at university, major field of study, and marine environmental courses when designing and evaluating intervention programs for Chinese undergraduates.

Keywords: marine environmental attitude; environmentally friendly behavior; subjective norms; green self-efficacy; mediating effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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