Low-carbon behavior between urban and rural residents in China: An online survey study

Abstract

This study examines the variances in low-carbon behaviors between urban and rural residents in China, highlighting the importance of tailoring strategies to foster sustainable lifestyle shifts. A notable innovation of our research is the detailed assessment of 24 low-carbon behaviors across five categories: clothing, eating, housing, transportation, and using, where the highest engagement was found in eating-related behaviors and the lowest in using. Remarkably, rural residents typically exhibit more favorable low-carbon behaviors than their urban counterparts, except in transportation. Another innovation of our research is the integration of the theory of planned behavior with external factors, we uncover how both internal and external influences shape low-carbon behaviors across demographics. We demonstrate that external factors, such as infrastructure, publicity and education, and economic factors, can both directly and indirectly encourage low-carbon behaviors. Infrastructure, particularly green transportation, emerges as vital for enhancing low-carbon behaviors in rural areas. These insights suggest policymakers can enhance low-carbon behavior promotion through modifications to external factors. Additionally, we advocate for demographic-specific policies to ensure interventions are precisely targeted and more efficacious, underscoring our contribution to the nuanced understanding of low-carbon behavior promotion strategies.