IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v166y2022ics0301421522002300.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Scale framing, benefit framing and their interaction effects on energy-saving behaviors: Evidence from urban residents of China

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Jianming
  • Li, Yongqiang
  • He, Zhengxia
  • Gao, Jian
  • Wang, Jianguo

Abstract

Based on an experiment on urban residents in China, this study analyzes the influence of differently framed messages on energy-saving behaviors. It is the first to study the effect of scale framing (large vs. small scale) and the interaction effects between scale and benefit framing (environmental vs. monetary benefit) on energy-saving behaviors. The study also analyzes the mediating effect of attitude, and the moderating effect of contextual factors. Data was collected from 1280 Chinese residents and was analyzed using a structural equation model. The results indicate that scale framing has significant effects on energy-saving usage behavior both directly and indirectly. However, the environmental or monetary benefit of saving energy surprisingly makes no difference to urban residents. Interestingly, in the monetary framing, large-scale messages can significantly promote energy-saving usage behavior compared to small-scale ones, while the differences are not significant in the environmental framing. Among the contextual factors, individual income and education level have significant moderating effects on several paths in our theoretical model. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications for energy-saving behavior promotion are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Jianming & Li, Yongqiang & He, Zhengxia & Gao, Jian & Wang, Jianguo, 2022. "Scale framing, benefit framing and their interaction effects on energy-saving behaviors: Evidence from urban residents of China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:166:y:2022:i:c:s0301421522002300
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522002300
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fehr, Ernst & Falk, Armin, 2002. "Psychological foundations of incentives," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(4-5), pages 687-724, May.
    2. Nyborg, Karine & Howarth, Richard B. & Brekke, Kjell Arne, 2006. "Green consumers and public policy: On socially contingent moral motivation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 351-366, November.
    3. Barr, Stewart & Gilg, Andrew W & Ford, Nicholas, 2005. "The household energy gap: examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related conservation behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1425-1444, July.
    4. Gadenne, David & Sharma, Bishnu & Kerr, Don & Smith, Tim, 2011. "The influence of consumers' environmental beliefs and attitudes on energy saving behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7684-7694.
    5. Jean Tirole & Roland Bénabou, 2006. "Incentives and Prosocial Behavior," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1652-1678, December.
    6. Song, HakJun & You, Geun-Jun & Reisinger, Yvette & Lee, Choong-Ki & Lee, Seung-Kon, 2014. "Behavioral intention of visitors to an Oriental medicine festival: An extended model of goal directed behavior," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 101-113.
    7. Hara, Keishiro & Uwasu, Michinori & Kishita, Yusuke & Takeda, Hiroyuki, 2015. "Determinant factors of residential consumption and perception of energy conservation: Time-series analysis by large-scale questionnaire in Suita, Japan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 240-249.
    8. Matthes, Jörg & Wonneberger, Anke & Schmuck, Desirée, 2014. "Consumers' green involvement and the persuasive effects of emotional versus functional ads," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(9), pages 1885-1893.
    9. Kwok, Tin Fai & Xu, Yuan & Wong, Pui Ting, 2017. "Complying with voluntary energy conservation agreements (II): Lighting in Hong Kong’s shopping malls," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 225-234.
    10. Mahapatra, Krushna & Gustavsson, Leif, 2008. "An adopter-centric approach to analyze the diffusion patterns of innovative residential heating systems in Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 577-590, February.
    11. Jihoon Min & Zeke Hausfather & Qi Feng Lin, 2010. "A High‐Resolution Statistical Model of Residential Energy End Use Characteristics for the United States," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 14(5), pages 791-807, October.
    12. Fanus Asefaw Aregay & Zhao Minjuan & Xu Tao, 2018. "Knowledge, attitude and behavior of farmers in farmland conservation in China: an application of the structural equation model," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(2), pages 249-271, January.
    13. Frederiks, Elisha R. & Stenner, Karen & Hobman, Elizabeth V., 2015. "Household energy use: Applying behavioural economics to understand consumer decision-making and behaviour," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1385-1394.
    14. Lichtenstein, Donald R & Bearden, William O, 1989. "Contextual Influences on Perceptions of Merchant-Supplied Reference Prices," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 16(1), pages 55-66, June.
    15. Shah Md. Atiqul Haq & Khandaker Jafor Ahmed, 2017. "Does the perception of climate change vary with the socio-demographic dimensions? A study on vulnerable populations in Bangladesh," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 85(3), pages 1759-1785, February.
    16. Coccia, Mario, 2016. "The relation between price setting in markets and asymmetries of systems of measurement of goods," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 14(PB), pages 168-178.
    17. Ebru Dogan & Jan Bolderdijk & Linda Steg, 2014. "Making Small Numbers Count: Environmental and Financial Feedback in Promoting Eco-driving Behaviours," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 413-422, September.
    18. Mills, Bradford & Schleich, Joachim, 2012. "Residential energy-efficient technology adoption, energy conservation, knowledge, and attitudes: An analysis of European countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 616-628.
    19. Poortinga, Wouter & Steg, Linda & Vlek, Charles & Wiersma, Gerwin, 2003. "Household preferences for energy-saving measures: A conjoint analysis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 49-64, February.
    20. Guo, Zhifeng & Zhou, Kaile & Zhang, Chi & Lu, Xinhui & Chen, Wen & Yang, Shanlin, 2018. "Residential electricity consumption behavior: Influencing factors, related theories and intervention strategies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 399-412.
    21. Li, Jia & Just, Richard E., 2018. "Modeling household energy consumption and adoption of energy efficient technology," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 404-415.
    22. David Martin-Consuegea & Angel Millan & Estrella Diaz & Eunju Ko, 2010. "The Effects of Price Salience on Consumer Perception and Purchase Intentions," Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 149-163, March.
    23. Zaremohzzabieh, Zeinab & Ismail, Normala & Ahrari, Seyedali & Abu Samah, Asnarulkhadi, 2021. "The effects of consumer attitude on green purchase intention: A meta-analytic path analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 732-743.
    24. Chen, Victor L. & Delmas, Magali A. & Locke, Stephen L. & Singh, Amarjeet, 2017. "Information strategies for energy conservation: A field experiment in India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 215-227.
    25. Guo, Fei & Kurdgelashvili, Lado & Bengtsson, Magnus & Akenji, Lewis, 2016. "Analysis of achievable residential energy-saving potential and its implications for effective policy interventions: A study of Xiamen city in southern China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 507-520.
    26. repec:cup:judgdm:v:11:y:2016:i:4:p:342-351 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. Leighty, Wayne & Meier, Alan, 2011. "Accelerated electricity conservation in Juneau, Alaska: A study of household activities that reduced demand 25%," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2299-2309, May.
    28. Hu, Saiquan & Jia, Xiao & Zhang, Xiaojin & Zheng, Xiaoying & Zhu, Junming, 2017. "How political ideology affects climate perception: Moderation effects of time orientation and knowledge," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 124-131.
    29. Negin Ashoori & David A. Dzombak & Mitchell J. Small, 2016. "Modeling the Effects of Conservation, Demographics, Price, and Climate on Urban Water Demand in Los Angeles, California," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(14), pages 5247-5262, November.
    30. S. Barnett Burns & Beth Savan, 2018. "The Post-Intervention Persistence of Energy Conservation Behaviors: An Evaluation of the ‘Start Green’ Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-20, March.
    31. Brounen, Dirk & Kok, Nils & Quigley, John M., 2012. "Residential energy use and conservation: Economics and demographics," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(5), pages 931-945.
    32. Frisch, Deborah, 1993. "Reasons for Framing Effects," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 399-429, April.
    33. Chen, Fang-Yuan, 2013. "The intention and determining factors for airline passengers' participation in carbon offset schemes," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 17-22.
    34. Ropret Homar, Aja & Knežević Cvelbar, Ljubica, 2021. "The effects of framing on environmental decisions: A systematic literature review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    35. Delmas, Magali A. & Fischlein, Miriam & Asensio, Omar I., 2013. "Information strategies and energy conservation behavior: A meta-analysis of experimental studies from 1975 to 2012," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 729-739.
    36. Nejat, Payam & Jomehzadeh, Fatemeh & Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi & Gohari, Mohammad & Abd. Majid, Muhd Zaimi, 2015. "A global review of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and policy in the residential sector (with an overview of the top ten CO2 emitting countries)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 843-862.
    37. José A. Pellerano & Michael K. Price & Steven L. Puller & Gonzalo E. Sánchez, 2017. "Do Extrinsic Incentives Undermine Social Norms? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Energy Conservation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 67(3), pages 413-428, July.
    38. Kwok, Tin Fai & Xu, Yuan & Wong, Pui Ting, 2017. "Complying with voluntary energy conservation agreements (I): Air conditioning in Hong Kong’s shopping malls," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 213-224.
    39. Van de Velde, Liesbeth & Verbeke, Wim & Popp, Michael & Van Huylenbroeck, Guido, 2010. "The importance of message framing for providing information about sustainability and environmental aspects of energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 5541-5549, October.
    40. Zografakis, Nikolaos & Sifaki, Elli & Pagalou, Maria & Nikitaki, Georgia & Psarakis, Vasilios & Tsagarakis, Konstantinos P., 2010. "Assessment of public acceptance and willingness to pay for renewable energy sources in Crete," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 1088-1095, April.
    41. Andor, Mark A. & Fels, Katja M., 2018. "Behavioral Economics and Energy Conservation – A Systematic Review of Non-price Interventions and Their Causal Effects," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 178-210.
    42. Wang, Yao & Lin, Boqiang & Li, Minyang, 2021. "Is household electricity saving a virtuous circle? A case study of the first-tier cities in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    43. Belaïd, Fateh, 2017. "Untangling the complexity of the direct and indirect determinants of the residential energy consumption in France: Quantitative analysis using a structural equation modeling approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 246-256.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Vu Ngoc Xuan & Le Thi Loan & Nguyen Minh Hoa & Nguyen Thi Dao, 2023. "Using a Unified Model of TPB, NAM, and SOBC to Investigate the Energy-Saving Behaviour of Urban Residents in Vietnam: Moderation Role of Cultural Values," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Lin, Boqiang & Lan, Tianxu, 2023. "Progress of increasing-block electricity pricing policy implementation in China's first-tier cities and the impact of resident policy perception," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    3. Long, Ruyin & Wang, Jiaqi & Chen, Hong & Li, Qianwen & Wu, Meifen & Tan-Soo, Jie-Sheng, 2023. "Applying multilevel structural equation modeling to energy-saving behavior: The interaction of individual- and city-level factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    4. Alettin Irmak & Nurlan Kurmanov & Onaikhan Zhadigerova & Zukhra Turdiyeva & Aigul Bakirbekova & Gaukhar Saimagambetova & Assilbek Baidakov & Aigul Mukhamejanova & Madina Tolysbayeva & Sagyngali Seitzh, 2023. "Shaping Energy-Saving Behavior in Education System: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(4), pages 46-60, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    2. Spandagos, Constantine & Baark, Erik & Ng, Tze Ling & Yarime, Masaru, 2021. "Social influence and economic intervention policies to save energy at home: Critical questions for the new decade and evidence from air-condition use," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. Mi, Lingyun & Gan, Xiaoli & Sun, Yuhuan & Lv, Tao & Qiao, Lijie & Xu, Ting, 2021. "Effects of monetary and nonmonetary interventions on energy conservation: A meta-analysis of experimental studies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    4. Morgane Innocent & Agnès François-Lecompte & Nolwenn Roudaut, 2020. "Comparison of human versus technological support to reduce domestic electricity consumption in France," Post-Print hal-02450849, HAL.
    5. Belaïd, Fateh & Joumni, Haitham, 2020. "Behavioral attitudes towards energy saving: Empirical evidence from France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    6. Spandagos, Constantine & Yarime, Masaru & Baark, Erik & Ng, Tze Ling, 2020. "“Triple Target” policy framework to influence household energy behavior: Satisfy, strengthen, include," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    7. Xuan Liu & Qiancheng Wang & Hsi-Hsien Wei & Hung-Lin Chi & Yaotian Ma & Izzy Yi Jian, 2020. "Psychological and Demographic Factors Affecting Household Energy-Saving Intentions: A TPB-Based Study in Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, January.
    8. Brandsma, Jeroen S. & Blasch, Julia E., 2019. "One for all? – The impact of different types of energy feedback and goal setting on individuals’ motivation to conserve electricity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    9. Satre-Meloy, Aven, 2019. "Investigating structural and occupant drivers of annual residential electricity consumption using regularization in regression models," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 148-168.
    10. Innocent, Morgane & Francois-Lecompte, Agnes & Roudaut, Nolwenn, 2020. "Comparison of human versus technological support to reduce domestic electricity consumption in France," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    11. Tampakis, Stilianos & Arabatzis, Garyfallos & Tsantopoulos, Georgios & Rerras, Ioannis, 2017. "Citizens’ views on electricity use, savings and production from renewable energy sources: A case study from a Greek island," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 39-49.
    12. Hafner, Rebecca J. & Elmes, David & Read, Daniel, 2019. "Promoting behavioural change to reduce thermal energy demand in households: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 205-214.
    13. WeiYu Ji & Edwin H. W. Chan, 2019. "Critical Factors Influencing the Adoption of Smart Home Energy Technology in China: A Guangdong Province Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-24, November.
    14. Hassan Harajli & Ali Chalak, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for Energy Efficient Appliances: The Case of Lebanese Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-20, October.
    15. Imbulana Arachchi, Janaki & Managi, Shunsuke, 2021. "Preferences for energy sustainability: Different effects of gender on knowledge and importance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    16. Elisha R. Frederiks & Karen Stenner & Elizabeth V. Hobman, 2015. "The Socio-Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Residential Energy Consumption: A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-37, January.
    17. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sapio, Alessandro, 2019. "Energy saving in Italy in the late 1990s: Which role for non-monetary motivations?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    18. Boudet, Hilary S. & Flora, June A. & Armel, K. Carrie, 2016. "Clustering household energy-saving behaviours by behavioural attribute," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 444-454.
    19. Chatzigeorgiou, I.M. & Andreou, G.T., 2021. "A systematic review on feedback research for residential energy behavior change through mobile and web interfaces," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    20. Gulshan Maqbool & Zulqarnain Haider, 2021. "The Impact of Individual Behavior on Household Energy Saving," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 3(1), pages 39-46.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:166:y:2022:i:c:s0301421522002300. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.