Urban residents' environmental citizenship behaviour: The roles of place attachment, social norms and perceived environmental responsibility

Abstract

Little attention has so far been devoted to the roles that perceived environmental responsibility and social norms respectively play in the established relationship between place attachment and pro-environment behaviour of residents. These two variables matter when we consider the context of cities where typically residents are from different backgrounds which can exacerbate the difficulty in engaging residents in civic activities such as pro-environment behaviour. Using data collected in Beijing ( n = 1388) and employing a structural equation modeling approach, our findings first demonstrate that attachment to a place activates an individual's perceived environmental responsibility that acts as a mediator between place attachment and pro-environmental behaviour. Second, we find that place attachment influences both subjective and local norms, but that only subjective norms transfer the impact to perceived environmental responsibility and then to pro-environmental behaviour. These findings provide local authorities with new avenues of policy intervention regarding the use of social norms and perceived environmental responsibility respectively when designing place attachment policies to engage urban residents in pro-environment behaviour. • Place attachment enhances environmental responsibility and engagement • Place attachment influences both subjective and local norms • Subjective norms transfer the impact of place attachment to environmental responsibility and then pro-environmental behaviour