Predicting the impacts of psychological factors and policy factors on individual’s PM2.5 reduction behavior: An empirical study in China

Abstract

Abstract Understanding and encouraging individuals to conduct PM2.5 reduction behavior is vital to reduce conventional energy consumption and promote low carbon development. This research aims to predict the impacts of psychological factors (i.e., subjective norm, attitude, self-efficacy and controllability) and policy factors (i.e., command and control policy, economic incentive policy and education guidance policy) on individual’s PM2.5 reduction behavior using a comprehensive research model on the basis of planned behavior theory and attitude-behavior-context. The research model is empirically examined employing questionnaire survey data of 1007 urban residents who reside in severe smog regions in China. The research findings indicate that individual’s subjective norm, attitude and self-efficacy are all important internal affecting factors of individual’s PM2.5 reduction intention, and further influence actual behavior. However, controllability can significantly moderate the relationship between individual’s intention and actual behavior towards reducing PM2.5. Furthermore, three types of policy measures all show significant moderating effects on the transformation from intention to actual behavior. In addition, the results highlight that controllability and three types of policy measures all activate the transformation from intention to behavior, whether at low or high levels but to different extent, which implies that controllability and policy factors play a critical role in narrowing the gap between individual’s intention and actual behavior. According to the research findings, policy implications for encouraging individual’s PM2.5 reduction behavior and mitigating smog pollution are provided.