IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i22p6341-d286101.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Characterizing the Energy-Saving Behaviors, Attitudes and Awareness of University Students in Macau

Author

Listed:
  • Shujie Zhao

    (Macau Environmental Research Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China)

  • Qingbin Song

    (Macau Environmental Research Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China)

  • Chao Wang

    (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China)

Abstract

Currently, energy and its usage are the primary environmental issues in all countries and regions. As a special social group, university students not only have extremely high energy consumption needs, but they have more advanced consumption concepts. Understanding their energy-saving characteristics could provide foresight for predicting the energy-saving characteristics of future residents. Using data collected from 737 valid questionnaires, from five typical universities in Macau, this study investigated university students' energy-saving behaviors, attitudes and awareness, and analyzed the possible influencing factors. The results showed that the energy-saving behaviors and attitudes of respondents from five university were nearly the same. Meanwhile, 75.98% of the respondents clearly recognized that energy-savings behaviors are closely related to their daily study and life, and 96.61% of the university students thought that it is very necessary to save energy. In addition, 92.94% of students thought it was necessary to carry out energy-saving education in universities. The regression analysis indicated that “the relationship between energy-saving awareness and daily life” and “the necessity of energy-saving education” are positively correlated with the energy-saving awareness at the significance level of 1%, whereas the energy-saving behaviors, “give priority to energy-saving products” and “shut down your computer when going out”, are positively correlated with energy-saving awareness at the significance level of 10% and 5%, respectively. Finally, we proposed effective suggestions for raising the awareness of saving energy among university students.

Suggested Citation

  • Shujie Zhao & Qingbin Song & Chao Wang, 2019. "Characterizing the Energy-Saving Behaviors, Attitudes and Awareness of University Students in Macau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-11, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6341-:d:286101
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6341/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6341/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Zhaohua & Zhang, Bin & Yin, Jianhua & Zhang, Yixiang, 2011. "Determinants and policy implications for household electricity-saving behaviour: Evidence from Beijing, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3550-3557, June.
    2. Gadenne, David & Sharma, Bishnu & Kerr, Don & Smith, Tim, 2011. "The influence of consumers' environmental beliefs and attitudes on energy saving behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7684-7694.
    3. Qingbin Song & Jinhui Li, 2015. "Greenhouse gas emissions from the usage of typical e-products by households: a case study of China," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 615-629, October.
    4. Yu, Biying & Zhang, Junyi & Fujiwara, Akimasa, 2013. "Evaluating the direct and indirect rebound effects in household energy consumption behavior: A case study of Beijing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 441-453.
    5. Yue, Ting & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2013. "Factors influencing energy-saving behavior of urban households in Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 665-675.
    6. Ertz, Myriam & Karakas, Fahri & Sarigöllü, Emine, 2016. "Exploring pro-environmental behaviors of consumers: An analysis of contextual factors, attitude, and behaviors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 3971-3980.
    7. Song, Qingbin & Li, Jinhui & Duan, Huabo & Yu, Danfeng & Wang, Zhishi, 2017. "Towards to sustainable energy-efficient city: A case study of Macau," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 504-514.
    8. Poortinga, Wouter & Steg, Linda & Vlek, Charles & Wiersma, Gerwin, 2003. "Household preferences for energy-saving measures: A conjoint analysis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 49-64, February.
    9. Yoo, Seung-Hoon & Kwak, So-Yoon, 2009. "Willingness to pay for green electricity in Korea: A contingent valuation study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5408-5416, December.
    10. Li Hua & Shanyong Wang, 2019. "Antecedents of Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances: An Empirical Study Based on the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, May.
    11. Ek, Kristina & Söderholm, Patrik, 2010. "The devil is in the details: Household electricity saving behavior and the role of information," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 1578-1587, March.
    12. Nangia, Rita, 2019. "Securing Asia's energy future with regional integration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 1262-1273.
    13. Sardianou, Eleni, 2007. "Estimating energy conservation patterns of Greek households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3778-3791, July.
    14. Vringer, Kees & Aalbers, Theo & Blok, Kornelis, 2007. "Household energy requirement and value patterns," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 553-566, January.
    15. DeWaters, Jan E. & Powers, Susan E., 2011. "Energy literacy of secondary students in New York State (USA): A measure of knowledge, affect, and behavior," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1699-1710, March.
    16. Ozgur Kaya & Wojciech J. Florkowski & Anna Us & Anna M. Klepacka, 2019. "Renewable Energy Perception by Rural Residents of a Peripheral EU Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Angela Yi Jing Tsai & Alex Yong Kwang Tan, 2022. "Analysis of Undergraduates’ Environmentally Friendly Behavior: Case Study of Tzu Chi University Environmental Education Program," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-17, July.
    2. Katarzyna Kreczmańska-Gigol & Tomasz Gigol, 2022. "The Impact of Consumers’ Green Skepticism on the Purchase of Energy-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Products," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Jimena González-Ramírez & Heyi Cheng & Sierra Arral, 2021. "Funding Campus Sustainability through a Green Fee—Estimating Students’ Willingness to Pay," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Kabeya Clement Mulamba, 2020. "Relationship between education and households? electricity-saving behaviour in South Africa: A multilevel logistic analysis," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2020(2), pages 51-74.
    5. Violeta Mihaela Dincă & Mihail Busu & Zoltan Nagy-Bege, 2022. "Determinants with Impact on Romanian Consumers’ Energy-Saving Habits," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Angela Yi Jing Tsai & Alex Yong Kwang Tan, 2022. "The Expanded Theory of Planned Behavior in the Context of Environmental Protection Behaviors for Undergraduates: Roles of Moral Norms and University Class Standings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, July.
    7. Yusuf Opeyemi Akinwale, 2022. "Awareness and Perceptions of University Students in the Business College towards Energy Savings and Renewable Energy Sources in Saudi Arabia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(3), pages 470-476, May.
    8. Zhao, Shujie & Song, Qingbin & Zhao, Dongfeng & Wang, Yongqiang, 2023. "Identifying the spatiotemporal carbon footprint of the petroleum refining industry and its mitigation potential in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    9. Bożena Gajdzik & Marcin Awdziej & Magdalena Jaciow & Ilona Lipowska & Marcin Lipowski & Grzegorz Szojda & Jolanta Tkaczyk & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "Encouraging Residents to Save Energy by Using Smart Transportation: Incorporating the Propensity to Save Energy into the UTAUT Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-31, October.
    10. 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.
    11. Wan Nur Hafizah Wan Hussain & Lilia Halim & Mee Yeang Chan & Norshariani Abd Rahman, 2021. "Predicting Energy-Saving Behaviour Based on Environmental Values: An Analysis of School Children’s Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-14, July.
    12. Mahirah Kamaludin & Muhd Azrin Shah Razali & Nazatul Faizah Haron & A. A. Azlina, 2021. "Energy Efficiency Labelling: Investigating Students Preferences and Awareness on the Energy-efficient Electrical Appliances in Hostel," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(2), pages 300-308.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yue, Ting & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2013. "Factors influencing energy-saving behavior of urban households in Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 665-675.
    2. Yu, Yihua & Guo, Jin, 2016. "Identifying electricity-saving potential in rural China: Empirical evidence from a household survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 1-9.
    3. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sapio, Alessandro, 2019. "Energy saving in Italy in the late 1990s: Which role for non-monetary motivations?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Belaïd, Fateh & Joumni, Haitham, 2020. "Behavioral attitudes towards energy saving: Empirical evidence from France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    5. Licheng Sun & Qunwei Wang & Shilong Ge, 2018. "Urban resident energy-saving behavior: a case study under the A2SC framework," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 91(2), pages 515-536, March.
    6. Véronique Vasseur & Anne-Francoise Marique & Vladimir Udalov, 2019. "A Conceptual Framework to Understand Households’ Energy Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-22, November.
    7. Morgane Innocent & Agnès François-Lecompte & Nolwenn Roudaut, 2020. "Comparison of human versus technological support to reduce domestic electricity consumption in France," Post-Print hal-02450849, HAL.
    8. Ohler, Adrienne M. & Billger, Sherrilyn M., 2014. "Does environmental concern change the tragedy of the commons? Factors affecting energy saving behaviors and electricity usage," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-12.
    9. Nieves García-de-Frutos & José Manuel Ortega-Egea & Javier Martínez-del-Río, 2018. "Anti-consumption for Environmental Sustainability: Conceptualization, Review, and Multilevel Research Directions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 411-435, March.
    10. Véronique Vasseur & Anne-Francoise Marique, 2019. "Households’ Willingness to Adopt Technological and Behavioral Energy Savings Measures: An Empirical Study in The Netherlands," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-25, November.
    11. Jin Zhang & Lianrui Ma & Jinkai Li, 2021. "Why Low-Carbon Publicity Effect Limits? The Role of Heterogeneous Intention in Reducing Household Energy Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-17, November.
    12. Innocent, Morgane & Francois-Lecompte, Agnes & Roudaut, Nolwenn, 2020. "Comparison of human versus technological support to reduce domestic electricity consumption in France," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    13. Quaglione, Davide & Cassetta, Ernesto & Crociata, Alessandro & Sarra, Alessandro, 2017. "Exploring additional determinants of energy-saving behaviour: The influence of individuals' participation in cultural activities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 503-511.
    14. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    15. Kabeya Clement Mulamba, 2020. "Relationship between education and households? electricity-saving behaviour in South Africa: A multilevel logistic analysis," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2020(2), pages 51-74.
    16. Hassan Harajli & Ali Chalak, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for Energy Efficient Appliances: The Case of Lebanese Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-20, October.
    17. Hori, Shiro & Kondo, Kayoko & Nogata, Daisuke & Ben, Han, 2013. "The determinants of household energy-saving behavior: Survey and comparison in five major Asian cities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 354-362.
    18. Park, Eunil & Kwon, Sang Jib, 2017. "What motivations drive sustainable energy-saving behavior?: An examination in South Korea," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 494-502.
    19. Gulshan Maqbool & Zulqarnain Haider, 2021. "The Impact of Individual Behavior on Household Energy Saving," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 3(1), pages 39-46.
    20. Kenichi Mizobuchi & Kenji Takeuchi, 2012. "The Influences of Economic and Psychological Factors on Energy-Saving Behavior: A Field Experiment in Matsuyama, Japan," Discussion Papers 1206, Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6341-:d:286101. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.