Applying multilevel structural equation modeling to energy-saving behavior: The interaction of individual- and city-level factors

Abstract

Most studies that explain differences in energy-saving behavior focus on individual psychological influences. Yet, energy-saving behavior is likely to be nested within individual and regional contexts and shaped by multi-level interactions. Therefore, this study constructs a multilevel analysis framework of energy-saving behavior. We use multilevel structural equation modeling to examine the interaction between individual psychological factors and city contextual factors related to energy-saving behavior based on city-level statistics and surveys of residents in representative Chinese cities. The results show the following: (1) Usage-reduction behavior is mainly influenced by individual psychological factors, while energy-efficiency promotion behavior is influenced by both individual psychological and city contextual factors. Specifically, city-level factors explain 9.9% of the variance of energy-efficiency promotion behavior. (2) At the city level, environmental pollution, economic development, and public transportation penetration can positively predict energy-efficiency promotion behavior. (3) The cross-level interaction results indicate that economic development inhibits the influence of environmental pollution perceptions on environmental attitudes. These findings point to the need to consider regional contextual forces when studying environmental behavior, and they provide a scientific basis for developing targeted policies for cities at different economic development levels.