The behaviour of FinTech users in the Alipay Ant Forest platform towards environmental protection

Abstract

Users engaging in digital environmental initiatives is a complex phenomenon, and this study used mixed methods research to understand it. The primary aim of this study was to qualitatively analyse Alipay Ant Forest users’ behaviour by developing a thematic analysis of digital environmental protection initiatives via the Alipay Ant Forest platform. The additional analysis used a quantitative technique approach to supplement the qualitative findings. The study conducted phone interviews via WeChat involving 30 Alipay users to inquire about their environmental beliefs through the scope of the theory of planned behaviour to explain their motivations for environmental protection. Attitudinal belief contributed the most, followed by subjective norms and perceived self-control. Behaviour after use shows that most users recommend FinTech to others. Additional analysis using quantitative techniques showed that age positively influenced the government’s proactive engagement. Younger female FinTech users are likely to engage in environmental protection proactively. This study focused on the Ant Forest mobile service application in the Chinese context, and future research can examine similar mobile service applications used in other countries with different societal cultures that promote environmental protection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using mixed methods research to examine Ant FinTech mobile service application’s impact on its users towards environmental protection.