Urban Ecological Culture Construction and the Formation of Residents’ Green Living: Evidence from National Forest City Construction in China

Abstract

Based on the data of 282 cities from 2006 to 2019, this paper conducts a quasi-natural experiment with National Forest City as a proxy variable for urban ecological culture construction (Cul), using the difference-in-differences model to verify its impact and mechanisms on residents’ green living. The results are described as follows. (1) Urban ecological culture construction helps form residents’ green living, specifically, reducing carbon emissions from electricity, transportation, and heating, and this conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. (2) Urban ecological culture construction helps form residents’ green living through two mediating channels: enhancing public environmental protection participation and forming green consumption awareness. (3) Confucianism plays a positive moderating role in the process of urban ecological culture construction promoting residents’ green living, while the moderating role of exotic culture is not significant. It is worth mentioning that the role of Confucianism remains unchanged even when the above two cultures coexist. In view of this, this paper argues that urban ecological culture construction matters in forming residents’ green living. The organic integration of modern urban ecological culture construction with the region’s excellent traditional culture is worth noting.