IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v125y2017icp282-292.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the motivation-behavior gap in urban residents’ green travel behavior: A theoretical and empirical study

Author

Listed:
  • Geng, Jichao
  • Long, Ruyin
  • Chen, Hong
  • Li, Wenbo

Abstract

The inconsistency between motivation and environmental behavior has been a critical issue troubling many researchers. From the two-dimensional perspectives of motivation and behavior, this study proposes a theoretical model with three colors (four types) of travel behavior: green, red, forced grey, and susceptible grey travel behavior. Based on 1244 questionnaires, the multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the effects of different types of travel behaviors in terms of motivations, government measures, and demographic characteristics. The results indicate that the green environmental motivation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for ensuring stable green travel behavior. These motives of economics, convenience, and comfort would adjust, disturb, or even change residents’ travel behaviors, resulting in the motivation-behavior gap. The theoretical model is reasonable and effective for distinguishing urban residents’ multiple motivations and explaining the motivation-behavior gap. In addition, the effects of gender, age, income, vehicle ownership, travel distance, and government measures show significant differences among different types of travel behavior. This study provides some countermeasure proposals targeted to specific colors of travel behavior to modify the motivation-behavior gap and to encourage urban residents to travel in a green way.

Suggested Citation

  • Geng, Jichao & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Li, Wenbo, 2017. "Exploring the motivation-behavior gap in urban residents’ green travel behavior: A theoretical and empirical study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 282-292.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:125:y:2017:i:c:p:282-292
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.06.025
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344917301799
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.06.025?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. Wang, Bobin & Shao, Chunfu & Ji, Xun, 2017. "Dynamic analysis of holiday travel behaviour with integrated multimodal travel information usage: A life-oriented approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 255-280.
    2. Lizin, Sebastien & Van Dael, Miet & Van Passel, Steven, 2017. "Battery pack recycling: Behaviour change interventions derived from an integrative theory of planned behaviour study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 66-82.
    3. Lancée, Sascha & Veenhoven, Ruut & Burger, Martijn, 2017. "Mood during commute in the Netherlands," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 195-208.
    4. Eliasson, Jonas & Proost, Stef, 2015. "Is sustainable transport policy sustainable?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 92-100.
    5. Marcel Paulssen & Dirk Temme & Akshay Vij & Joan Walker, 2014. "Values, attitudes and travel behavior: a hierarchical latent variable mixed logit model of travel mode choice," Transportation, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 873-888, July.
    6. Xu, Bin & Lin, Boqiang, 2015. "Carbon dioxide emissions reduction in China's transport sector: A dynamic VAR (vector autoregression) approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 486-495.
    7. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    8. Yan, Yu-jie & Liu, Yuan, 2012. "Problems of Quality of Migrant Workers and Countermeasures from the Perspective of Iceberg Model," Asian Agricultural Research, USA-China Science and Culture Media Corporation, vol. 4(05), pages 1-3, May.
    9. Geng, Jichao & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2016. "Impact of information intervention on travel mode choice of urban residents with different goal frames: A controlled trial in Xuzhou, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 134-147.
    10. Botetzagias, Iosif & Dima, Andora-Fani & Malesios, Chrisovaladis, 2015. "Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior in the context of recycling: The role of moral norms and of demographic predictors," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 58-67.
    11. Delley, Mathilde & Brunner, Thomas A., 2017. "Foodwaste within Swiss households: A segmentation of the population and suggestions for preventive measures," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 172-184.
    12. Ranran Yang & Ruyin Long, 2016. "Analysis of the Influencing Factors of the Public Willingness to Participate in Public Bicycle Projects and Intervention Strategies—A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-16, April.
    13. Jens Kandt & Philipp Rode & Christian Hoffmann & Andreas Graff & Duncan Smith, 2015. "Gauging interventions for sustainable travel: a comparative study of travel attitudes in Berlin and London," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 63872, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Prillwitz, Jan & Barr, Stewart, 2011. "Moving towards sustainability? Mobility styles, attitudes and individual travel behaviour," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1590-1600.
    15. Allinson, David & Irvine, Katherine N. & Edmondson, Jill L. & Tiwary, Abhishek & Hill, Graeme & Morris, Jonathan & Bell, Margaret & Davies, Zoe G. & Firth, Steven K. & Fisher, Jill & Gaston, Kevin J. , 2016. "Measurement and analysis of household carbon: The case of a UK city," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 871-881.
    16. Jichao Geng & Ruyin Long & Hong Chen & Ting Yue & Wenbo Li & Qianwen Li, 2017. "Exploring Multiple Motivations on Urban Residents’ Travel Mode Choices: An Empirical Study from Jiangsu Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    17. Eric Morris & Erick Guerra, 2015. "Mood and mode: does how we travel affect how we feel?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 25-43, January.
    18. Makki, Anas A. & Stewart, Rodney A. & Beal, Cara D. & Panuwatwanich, Kriengsak, 2015. "Novel bottom-up urban water demand forecasting model: Revealing the determinants, drivers and predictors of residential indoor end-use consumption," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 15-37.
    19. Xueying Lu, 2016. "Effectiveness of government enforcement in driving restrictions: a case in Beijing, China," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 18(1), pages 63-92, January.
    20. Ahmed Osman Idris & Khandker M. Nurul Habib & Alejandro Tudela & Amer Shalaby, 2015. "Investigating the effects of psychological factors on commuting mode choice behaviour," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(3), pages 265-276, April.
    21. Van Acker, Veronique & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Witlox, Frank, 2014. "Car availability explained by the structural relationships between lifestyles, residential location, and underlying residential and travel attitudes," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 88-99.
    22. Kandt, Jens & Rode, Philipp & Hoffmann, Christian & Graff, Andreas & Smith, Duncan, 2015. "Gauging interventions for sustainable travel: A comparative study of travel attitudes in Berlin and London," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 35-48.
    23. Wei, Jia & Chen, Hong & Cui, Xiaotong & Long, Ruyin, 2016. "Carbon capability of urban residents and its structure: Evidence from a survey of Jiangsu Province in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 635-649.
    24. Shen, Qing & Chen, Peng & Pan, Haixiao, 2016. "Factors affecting car ownership and mode choice in rail transit-supported suburbs of a large Chinese city," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 31-44.
    25. Wang, Zhaohua & Liu, Wei, 2015. "Determinants of CO2 emissions from household daily travel in Beijing, China: Individual travel characteristic perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 292-299.
    26. Lan-Cui Liu & Gang Wu & Yue-Jun Zhang, 2015. "Investigating the residential energy consumption behaviors in Beijing: a survey study," 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. 75(1), pages 243-263, January.
    27. Schmidt, Karolin, 2016. "Explaining and promoting household food waste-prevention by an environmental psychological based intervention study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 53-66.
    28. Schwanen, Tim & Banister, David & Anable, Jillian, 2012. "Rethinking habits and their role in behaviour change: the case of low-carbon mobility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 522-532.
    29. Chen, Hong & Long, Ruyin & Niu, Wenjing & Feng, Qun & Yang, Ranran, 2014. "How does individual low-carbon consumption behavior occur? – An analysis based on attitude process," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 376-386.
    30. Clark, Ben & Chatterjee, Kiron & Melia, Steve, 2016. "Changes to commute mode: The role of life events, spatial context and environmental attitude," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 89-105.
    31. Steg, Linda, 2005. "Car use: lust and must. Instrumental, symbolic and affective motives for car use," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 147-162.
    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. Li, Qianwen & Qian, Tingyu & Wang, Jiaqi & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Sun, Chuanwang, 2023. "Social “win-win” promotion of green housing under the four-subject evolutionary game," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    2. 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.
    3. Dong, Xuemei & Jiang, Baichen & Zeng, Hui & Kassoh, Fallah Samuel, 2022. "Impact of trust and knowledge in the food chain on motivation-behavior gap in green consumption," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Schiopu, Andreea Fortuna & Hornoiu, Remus Ion & Padurean, Ana Mihaela & Nica, Ana-Maria, 2022. "Constrained and virtually traveling? Exploring the effect of travel constraints on intention to use virtual reality in tourism," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    5. Wang, Chao & Zhan, Jinyan & Wang, Huihui & Yang, Zheng & Chu, Xi & Liu, Wei & Teng, Yanmin & Liu, Huizi & Wang, Yifan, 2022. "Multi-group analysis on the mechanism of residents' low-carbon behaviors in Beijing, China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    6. 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).
    7. Timmer, Sebastian & Bösehans, Gustav & Henkel, Sven, 2023. "Behavioural norms or personal gains? – An empirical analysis of commuters‘ intention to switch to multimodal mobility behaviour," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    8. Minnich, Aljoscha, 2023. "Gamification in the transport sector: Quasi-experimental evidence from a bicycle navigation app," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    9. Rong, Peijun & Kwan, Mei-Po & Qin, Yaochen & Zheng, Zhicheng, 2022. "A review of research on low-carbon school trips and their implications for human-environment relationship," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    10. Lin, Boqiang & Wang, Xia, 2021. "Does low-carbon travel intention really lead to actual low-carbon travel? Evidence from urban residents in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 743-756.
    11. Lu, Jin-Long & Yang, Chih-Wen, 2022. "Good or bad? Passenger feelings regarding code-share alliances among airlines," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).

    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. Jichao Geng & Ruyin Long & Hong Chen & Ting Yue & Wenbo Li & Qianwen Li, 2017. "Exploring Multiple Motivations on Urban Residents’ Travel Mode Choices: An Empirical Study from Jiangsu Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Geng, Jichao & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2016. "Impact of information intervention on travel mode choice of urban residents with different goal frames: A controlled trial in Xuzhou, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 134-147.
    3. Cheng, Xiu & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Yang, Jiahui, 2019. "Does social interaction have an impact on residents’ sustainable lifestyle decisions? A multi-agent stimulation based on regret and game theory," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Wei, Jia & Chen, Hong & Cui, Xiaotong & Long, Ruyin, 2016. "Carbon capability of urban residents and its structure: Evidence from a survey of Jiangsu Province in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 635-649.
    5. Qianwen Li & Ruyin Long & Hong Chen & Jichao Geng, 2017. "Low Purchase Willingness for Battery Electric Vehicles: Analysis and Simulation Based on the Fault Tree Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Jichao Geng & Ruyin Long & Li Yang & Junqi Zhu & Getnet Engeda Birhane, 2020. "Experimental Evaluation of Information Interventions to Encourage Non-Motorized Travel: A Case Study in Hefei, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Gustav Bösehans & Ian Walker, 2020. "Do supra-modal traveller types exist? A travel behaviour market segmentation using Goal framing theory," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 243-273, February.
    8. Wu Li & Shengchuan Zhao & Jingwen Ma & Wenwen Qin, 2021. "Investigating Regional and Generational Heterogeneity in Low-Carbon Travel Behavior Intention Based on a PLS-SEM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, March.
    9. Haarstad, Håvard & Sareen, Siddharth & Kandt, Jens & Coenen, Lars & Cook, Matthew, 2022. "Beyond automobility? Lock-in of past failures in low-carbon urban mobility innovations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    10. Enayat Mirzaei & Dominique Mignot, 2021. "An Empirical Analysis of Mode Choice Decision for Utilitarian and Hedonic Trips: Evidence from Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-23, June.
    11. Feitelson, Eran & Cohen-Blankshtain, Galit, 2018. "Public transport planning in a spatially segmented city: The case of Jerusalem," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 65-74.
    12. Václav Plevka & Pieter Segaert & Chris M. J. Tampère & Mia Hubert, 2016. "Analysis of travel activity determinants using robust statistics," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(6), pages 979-996, November.
    13. Xiaojian Hu & Nan Wu & Nuo Chen, 2021. "Young People’s Behavioral Intentions towards Low-Carbon Travel: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-15, February.
    14. van Wee, Bert & De Vos, Jonas & Maat, Kees, 2019. "Impacts of the built environment and travel behaviour on attitudes: Theories underpinning the reverse causality hypothesis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    15. De Vos, Jonas, 2018. "Do people travel with their preferred travel mode? Analysing the extent of travel mode dissonance and its effect on travel satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 261-274.
    16. Yongliang Yang & Yiyang Guo & Suqing Luo, 2020. "Consumers’ Intention and Cognition for Low-Carbon Behavior: A Case Study of Hangzhou in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, November.
    17. Cristina Pronello & Jean-Baptiste Gaborieau, 2018. "Engaging in Pro-Environment Travel Behaviour Research from a Psycho-Social Perspective: A Review of Behavioural Variables and Theories," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-22, July.
    18. Loes M. Derikx & Dea van Lierop, 2021. "Intentions to Participate in Carsharing: The Role of Self- and Social Identity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-31, February.
    19. Pengfei Zhao & Lingxiang Wei & Dong Pan & Jincheng Yang & Yuchuan Ji, 2023. "Analysis of Key Factors Affecting Low-Carbon Travel Behaviors of Urban Residents in Developing Countries: A Case Study in Zhenjiang, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    20. Olde Kalter, Marie-José & La Paix Puello, Lissy & Geurs, Karst T., 2020. "Do changes in travellers’ attitudes towards car use and ownership over time affect travel mode choice? A latent transition approach in the Netherlands," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 1-17.

    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:recore:v:125:y:2017:i:c:p:282-292. 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: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    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.