How do integrity level and economic punishment affect residents' willingness and behavior to separate household waste? New evidence from 1293 questionnaires in Jinan

Abstract

The willingness and behavior of urban residents to classify waste will determine the effectiveness of urban domestic waste treatment, and in order to examine the willingness and behavior, it is crucial to clarify the role and influence of morality and law. Based on the field survey data of 1293 residents in Jinan, we empirically analyze the impact of integrity level and economic punishment on residents’ waste classification willingness and behavior. We find that both the integrity level and perceived penalty effectiveness have a direct promoting effect on recycling intention and behavior; the integrity level has the greatest impact on the recycling intention (30.8%), and the perceived effectiveness of the penalty system has the greatest impact on the recycling behavior (23.6%); the recycling intention has mediation effect in the influence of integrity level on recycling behavior and the perceived penalty effectiveness on recycling behavior; in addition, the mechanism of integrity level and perceived penalty effectiveness promoting classification behavior through recycling intention mostly exists in people with high education and under 40 years old.