The More Training, the More Willingness? A Positive Spillover Effect Analysis of Voluntary Behavior in Environmental Protection

Abstract

Volunteers trained in environmental science are the backbone of environmental protection. Therefore, it is necessary to study the pro-environmental behaviors of volunteers trained in environmental science and guide them to actively participate in pro-environmental actions. Compared with other kind of volunteers, volunteers trained in environmental science have more expertise on the premises, can this expertise strengthen their willingness to volunteer? Taking a group of university alumni trained in environmental science in city H as an example (N = 2349), this study investigates the potential mechanism of the positive spillover effect of volunteers trained in environmental science behavior. The volunteers in this sample showed the phenomenon of “the more training, the more willingness”: the degree to which environmental protection volunteers received environmental science education strengthened alumni’s willingness to participate. This paper uses the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework and serial mediation model as a methodology to investigate the factors that affect the willingness to participate in environmental protection volunteer services. This study identifies two paths from volunteer behavior to willingness: (1) profession → identity → willingness; and (2) profession → identity → pleasure → willingness. It is believed that the main intermediary variable of environmental protection volunteer participation is the sense of identity gained from receiving environmental protection education. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize that the sense of identity is internalized into cognition and transformed into positive emotions, so as to promote the participation willingness of environmental protection volunteers.