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Understanding Chinese Residents’ Waste Classification from a Perspective of Intention–Behavior Gap

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  • Leibao Zhang

    (School of Public Finance and Taxation, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China)

  • Qiuxian Hu

    (School of Public Finance and Taxation, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China)

  • Shuai Zhang

    (School of Information Management and Artificial Intelligence, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China)

  • Wenyu Zhang

    (School of Information Management and Artificial Intelligence, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China)

Abstract

It remains uncertain as to whether people who support waste classification end up transforming such environmental initiation into reality. Thus, to investigate the intention and actual behavior of Chinese residents on waste classification and the influencing factors, this study integrated the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and norm activation model (NAM), and extended them by adding external information factors, namely information publicity type and information quality. A questionnaire survey was conducted in mainland China, and the primary data from 349 individuals were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to verify the model. The conclusions confirmed that personal norm was a major predictor of residents’ waste classification intention, and there exists a gap between Chinese residents’ waste classification intentions and actual behaviors. Furthermore, strategies such as moral education and information publicity are important in policy implementation. These findings are helpful for Chinese policymakers in promoting and planning waste classification, and also provide experiences to other countries for combating similar waste problems in their metropolises.

Suggested Citation

  • Leibao Zhang & Qiuxian Hu & Shuai Zhang & Wenyu Zhang, 2020. "Understanding Chinese Residents’ Waste Classification from a Perspective of Intention–Behavior Gap," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4135-:d:359914
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Guangmin Zhang & Yang Zhang & Wei Tian & Huimin Li & Ping Guo & Fangfang Ye, 2021. "Bridging the Intention–Behavior Gap: Effect of Altruistic Motives on Developers’ Action towards Green Redevelopment of Industrial Brownfields," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Qiwen Chen & Hui Liu & Peng Mao & Junjie Qian & Yongtao Tan & Xiaer Xiahou & Peng Cui, 2022. "How Does NIMBYism Influence Residents’ Behavioral Willingness to Dispose of Waste in Centralized Collection Points?—An Empirical Study of Nanjing, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-21, November.
    4. Xin Shen & Bowei Chen & Markus Leibrecht & Huanzheng Du, 2022. "The Moderating Effect of Perceived Policy Effectiveness in Residents’ Waste Classification Intentions: A Study of Bengbu, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-12, January.
    5. Xuxi Wang & Jing Tan, 2022. "The Perception and Attitude of Farmers toward Domestic Waste Classifications: A Case Study on Wusheng County, Sichuan Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    6. Tiéfigué Pierrette Coulibaly & Jianguo Du & Daniel Diakité & Olivier Joseph Abban & Elvis Kouakou, 2021. "A Proposed Conceptual Framework on the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: The Role of Network Contact Frequency and Institutional Trust," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Minghua Jiang, 2022. "How Public Policies Are Implemented: A Comparison of Urban Domestic Waste Classification Policy Implementation Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-14, November.
    8. Ashikur Rahman & Teoh Ai Ping & Syeda Khadija Mubeen & Imran Mahmud & Ghazanfer Ali Abbasi, 2022. "What Influences Home Gardeners’ Food Waste Composting Intention in High-Rise Buildings in Dhaka Megacity, Bangladesh? An Integrated Model of TPB and DMP," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-21, August.

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