Runners’ Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Role of Place Attachment and Environmental Concern

Abstract

Understanding how sport consumers’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are shaped can be helpful for sport organizations in developing sport policies and establishing marketing strategies for the sport sector. To extend the literature on sport consumers’ PEBs, this study explored the relationship between residents’ place attachment and three types of PEBs using environmental concern as a mediator. Residents who ran habitually were recruited using an internet survey in Japan (N = 366). The results showed that place attachment was negatively associated with general PEB and place-specific PEB. However, place attachment was also positively and indirectly associated with general PEB, place-specific PEB, and ethically minded sport consumer behavior through environmental concerns. The findings contribute to the literature by identifying the mediating role of environmental concern in the relationship between place attachment and PEBs.