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Empirical Study on Households’ Energy-Conservation Behavior of Jiangsu Province in China: The Role of Policies and Behavior Results

Author

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  • Ting Yue

    (School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Ruyin Long

    (School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Junli Liu

    (School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Haiwen Liu

    (School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Hong Chen

    (School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

Abstract

With the improvement of living quality and the increase of energy consumption of residents, their energy conservation behavior (ECB) plays an increasingly important role in energy conservation and emission reduction. As a kind of environmental behavior, ECB of residents is a complicated process. In this paper, ECB is divided into four types, considering habit adjustment, quality threshold, efficiency investment, and interpersonal facilitation. A comprehensive conceptual framework is built, adding perception about energy conservation results (PER) and contextual factors from a new perspective. Based on a survey in Jiangsu province of China, this paper examines the impact of intention on behavior under the moderation of contextual factors, as well as the effect of perception of energy-conservation results on intention and ECB by means of multivariate statistical analysis. The results show that the intention of energy conservation is the determinant of behavior, but it does not well transform into behavior, especially into quality threshold and interpersonal facilitation behavior. Different contextual factors have positive effects on the relationship of intention and different behavior. However, modulating effects of contextual factors as amplifiers do not function effectively due to their low rating scores. PER has a positive impact on intention but not on all types of ECB. Finally, this paper presents important implications for policy makers to optimize energy conservation policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Ting Yue & Ruyin Long & Junli Liu & Haiwen Liu & Hong Chen, 2019. "Empirical Study on Households’ Energy-Conservation Behavior of Jiangsu Province in China: The Role of Policies and Behavior Results," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:6:p:939-:d:214220
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    1. Zhenjiao Chen & Yaqing Liu, 2020. "The Effects of Leadership and Reward Policy on Employees’ Electricity Saving Behaviors: An Empirical Study in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-15, March.
    2. Jinhua Xie & Gangqiao Yang & Ge Wang & Yaying Zhu & Zhaoxia Guo, 2023. "Substitutes or complements? Exploring the impact of environmental regulations and informal institutions on the clean energy utilization behaviors of farmers," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 3893-3922, May.
    3. Lia Marchi & Jacopo Gaspari, 2023. "Energy Conservation at Home: A Critical Review on the Role of End-User Behavior," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-22, November.
    4. Lingyun Mi & Yuhuan Sun & Lijie Qiao & Tianwen Jia & Yang Yang & Tao Lv, 2021. "Analysis of the Cause of Household Carbon Lock-In for Chinese Urban Households," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.

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