What Drives Residents’ Divergent Perceptions of Cultural Ecosystem Services in Urban Park Green Spaces? A Dual-Source Analysis Synergizing Social Media and Survey Data

In the context of rapid urbanization and the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), cities face multifaceted challenges such as high population density, limited green space, ecosystem degradation, and an insufficient supply of ecological products, all of which undermine urban sustainability. As crucial ecological units, urban park green spaces (UPGS) play a vital role in alleviating environmental pressures and providing cultural ecosystem services (CES) that are essential for human well-being and social sustainability. However, systematic insight into how residents perceive and value CES, along with the underlying drivers, remains underdeveloped, impeding the advancement of refined park management practices. Based on 12,083 social media texts, this study employed BERTopic topic modeling to identify five core dimensions of CES perception: recreational services (RS), aesthetic experiences (AE), health-promoting activities (HA), social interactions (SI), and educational services (ES). Additionally, four underlying drivers with corresponding measurable indicators were also identified: residents’ socioeconomic backgrounds (RSB), external built environment of parks (EBE), internal landscape composition (ILC), and quality of services management (QSM). Subsequently, using 313 valid questionnaires and geographic park data, a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) framework was constructed to analyze the influence mechanisms of EBE, ILC, and QSM on CES perception differences, with residents’ satisfaction with CES serving as the measure of their perceived CES levels. Hierarchical regression analysis was further employed to examine the moderating effects of RSB on these driving pathways. The findings reveal the following: (1) Significant synergies and heterogeneities existed among CES dimensions, with notable synergistic effects observed between AE and SI, as well as between HA and RS. (2) EBE, ILC, and QSM significantly influenced CES perception differences ( p < 0.05). EBE affected these differences through pathways such as EBE → ILC → QSM → CES and EBE → QSM → CES. Notably, QSM was identified as the most critical mediating factor affecting CES perception differences. (3) Age exerted a significant positive moderating effect on the QSM → CES pathway, while monthly income showed a marginally significant negative moderating trend on the ILC → QSM pathway. This study elucidates the multi-level driving mechanisms underlying differences in residents’ perceptions of CES in UPGS. A key innovation lies in the integration of large-scale social media text data with questionnaire surveys, combined with the application of the BERTopic model and PLS-SEM to analyze these perceptual differences. The findings offer both theoretical foundations and practical insights for landscape optimization and service enhancement in park planning and management, contributing to the development of more equitable, resilient, and sustainable urban environments.