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What explains the intention to bring mobile phones for recycling? A study on university students in China and Germany

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  • Evgeniya Yushkova

    (University of Wuppertal)

  • Yunting Feng

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Abstract

The analysis investigates the determinants of the intention to bring mobile phones for recycling. The paper is based on data regarding the determinants of bringing mobile phones for recycling collected from university students in Autumn 2016 (N = 1013) in both the Chinese and German academia. Using structural equation modeling, we examine the direct and indirect effects of social norms, knowledge about the environmental benefits of recycling and a pro-environmental attitude on the intention to recycle mobile phones. We find confirmation that attitude, social norms, and knowledge contribute positively and significantly to the intention to bring phones for recycling. As for three mediating effects tested, attitude mediates the relationship between knowledge and intention, as well as between social norms and intention. Knowledge as a mediator between social norms and attitude does not have a highly significant effect. Looking at the results of the Chinese and German sub-samples, we find that social norms have no direct effect on intention for the German sub-sample, but an indirect one through attitude. Knowledge has no significant effect for the German sub-sample. Results for the Chinese sub-sample indicate an indirect effect of social norms on attitude via knowledge, while knowledge itself has an indirect effect on intention through attitude.

Suggested Citation

  • Evgeniya Yushkova & Yunting Feng, 2017. "What explains the intention to bring mobile phones for recycling? A study on university students in China and Germany," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 501-516, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:iecepo:v:14:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10368-017-0383-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10368-017-0383-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pia Tanskanen, 2012. "Electronics Waste: Recycling of Mobile Phones," Chapters, in: Enri Damanhuri (ed.), Post-Consumer Waste Recycling and Optimal Production, IntechOpen.
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    4. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    5. Yu, Jinglei & Williams, Eric & Ju, Meiting, 2010. "Analysis of material and energy consumption of mobile phones in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4135-4141, August.
    6. 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.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Yang, Xisi & Thøgersen, John, 2022. "When people are green and greedy: A new perspective of recycling rewards and crowding-out in Germany, the USA and China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 217-235.
    3. Arsalan Najmi & Kanagi Kanapathy & Azmin A. Aziz, 2021. "Exploring consumer participation in environment management: Findings from two‐staged structural equation modelling‐artificial neural network approach," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 184-195, January.
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    5. Stefanie Klose & Stefan Pauliuk, 2021. "Quantifying longevity and circularity of copper for different resource efficiency policies at the material and product levels," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(4), pages 979-993, August.
    6. Ang Li & Bo Li & Xia Liu & Ying Zhang & Haiyan Zhang & Xuyang Lei & Suxia Hou & Bin Lu, 2022. "Characteristics and Dynamics of University Students’ Awareness of Retired Mobile Phones in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-14, August.

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