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Antecedents of Electricity-Saving Behavior in Mountain Road Tunnel-Construction Sites: A Multi-Level Modeling Analysis

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  • Guanfeng Yan

    (School of Engineering, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101, China
    School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
    Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering, Ministry of Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China)

  • Binwen Liu

    (School of Engineering, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101, China)

  • Yanjie Li

    (School of Engineering, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101, China)

  • Mingnian Wang

    (Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering, Ministry of Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China)

  • Tao Yan

    (Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering, Ministry of Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China)

Abstract

The electricity-saving behavior of construction workers is helpful in reducing construction costs, protecting the ecological environment, and preventing global climate change. However, there is insufficient research on the electricity-saving behavioral mechanisms of tunnel-construction workers, and their behavior is influenced by their surrounding people including supervisors and co-workers because they are nested in various construction sites and isolated from other acquaintances. This study aims to develop a hierarchical linear model that explores the interrelationships between tunnel-construction workers’ electricity-saving behavior and four influencing factors theoretically and empirically. An organizational-level factor, electricity-saving climate, and three individual-level factors, including attitude, perceived behavioral control, and moral norms, are considered, and 1567 tunnel-construction workers from 41 construction sites mainly located in the southwest of China participated in this study. A six-step procedure for statistical analyses is adopted to test eight hypotheses using questionnaire survey data. The results supported all the hypotheses within the multi-level model and showed that the organizational-level factor played a leading role in predicting workers’ electricity-saving intentions with three individual-level factors positively associated with workers’ electricity-saving intentions. Further, the organizational electricity-saving climate also indirectly affects workers’ electricity-saving intentions through three mediators (individual-level factors), and electricity-saving intention is positively associated with electricity-saving behavior. Consequently, cultivating an electricity-saving climate within an organization is of great benefit to electricity conservation and environmental protection, and several recommendations are provided to improve the practical operability of results. The findings enable a better understanding of electricity-saving behavioral mechanisms and promote a low-carbon lifestyle among tunnel-construction workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Guanfeng Yan & Binwen Liu & Yanjie Li & Mingnian Wang & Tao Yan, 2024. "Antecedents of Electricity-Saving Behavior in Mountain Road Tunnel-Construction Sites: A Multi-Level Modeling Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:6:p:2593-:d:1361464
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    References listed on IDEAS

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