Perceived Behavioral Control as a Mediator between Attitudes and Intentions toward Marine Responsible Environmental Behavior

Yi-Chen Lin,Ting-Kuang Yeh,Lin-Wen Chen,Chi-Feng Lin,Chung-Yi Huang,Chun-Yen Chang,Guang-Ying Liu

doi:10.3390/w13050580

Yi-Chen Lin, Ting-Kuang Yeh + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050580

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Journal: Water	Publication Date: Feb 24, 2021
Citations: 16	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei Hospital

Abstract

The marine environment has plunged into crisis with the growth of human activities. The enhancement of responsible environmental behavior (REB) requires policy and education to cultivate social awareness and actions to sustain marine resources. Several studies revealed that the intention serves as an effective predictor of actual behaviors. Furthermore, researchers generally acknowledge that attitudes and perceived behavioral control are potential factors toward behavior intention. However, some research has found that a positive attitude toward the environment does not translate into responsible environmental behavior. Additionally, the model of behavior in the marine context, especially the relationships between attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and the intention of responsible environmental behavior, are still not clear. Students’ attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and intentions toward responsible marine environmental behavior (M-REB) were evaluated via questionnaires. The data from a total of 79 undergraduate students were analyzed. The results suggest that perceived behavioral control is the mediator between attitudes and intentions toward M-REB. This finding reveals the potential benefits of reconsidering the importance of perceived behavioral control in promoting M-REB and provides empirical evidence for future policy-makers in society and education.

Highlights

A rapid decline in marine resources due to habitat destruction, overfishing, and pollution has become a trial for both the marine environment and human beings [1,2].There is a need to build responsible marine environmental behavior (M-responsible environmental behavior (REB)) to sustain the marine environment through the educational and policy-making processes [3,4]
To discover a possible mechanism for attitudes, we reviewed a series of studies on behaviors
The results suggested that environmental concern can influence purchase intention via an indirect effect through perceived behavioral control (PBC)

Summary

Introduction

A rapid decline in marine resources due to habitat destruction, overfishing, and pollution has become a trial for both the marine environment and human beings [1,2].There is a need to build responsible marine environmental behavior (M-REB) to sustain the marine environment through the educational and policy-making processes [3,4]. M-REB and active citizens’ development have become the ultimate environmental education goal [7,8]. Both M-REB and REB pursue a similar goal and comprise same psychological components and behavior categories. REB contains a wide range of learned actions identified in five categories by Sia, Hungerford and Tomera [4], Hungerford and Peyton [27]: ecomanagement, consumerism, persuasion, legal actions, and political actions.

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