Internet use and pro-environmental behavior: Evidence from China

Solving environmental problems relies upon cultivating pro-environmental behavior in the society. While the internet has been widely used to facilitate information transmission and communication, it’s important to understand its function in promoting pro-environmental behavior. Using the data from t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 17; no. 1; p. e0262644
Main Authors: Xiao, Youzhi, Liu, Xuemin, Ren, Ting
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 27.01.2022
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Attitudes
Biology and Life Sciences
Carbon
China
Communication
Computer and Information Sciences
Conservation of Natural Resources - statistics & numerical data
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Environment
Environmental behavior
Environmental impact
Environmental protection
Female
Global warming
Heterogeneity
Human acts
Human behavior
Human beings
Humans
Hypotheses
Income
Influence
Influence on nature
Information processing
Internet
Internet - statistics & numerical data
Internet Use - statistics & numerical data
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Mobile commerce
People and Places
Perceptions
Psychological aspects
Psychological research
Sharing economy
Social Sciences
Surveys and Questionnaires - statistics & numerical data
Theory of planned behavior
China
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Solving environmental problems relies upon cultivating pro-environmental behavior in the society. While the internet has been widely used to facilitate information transmission and communication, it’s important to understand its function in promoting pro-environmental behavior. Using the data from the China General Social Survey 2013, the relationship between the use of internet and the individual’s pro-environmental behavior is investigated, and overall positive effects are found. The results show that, the influence of internet use is more pronounced on the private pro-environmental behavior when further dividing pro-environmental behavior into private and public types. Moreover, the positive effect of internet use on pro-environmental behavior is more pronounced among low-income and female groups, compared to middle to high income and male counterparts, respectively, when considering the heterogeneity across different groups of individuals. We further explore the plausible channels of providing information, encouraging participation in pro-environmental campaigns and improving social relationships through which internet use facilitates pro-environmental behavior.
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Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262644