School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Labo NFC, Department of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Quebec in Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Canada.
PLoS One. 2023 Oct 19;18(10):e0287435. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287435. eCollection 2023.
The seriousness of the e-waste crisis stems from the fact that consumers do not participate much in ensuring the proper disposal of electronic materials. In this context, millennials are the largest segment of consumers of electronic products who are not yet motivated to get sustainably rid of them. However, to inspire consumers to recycle e-waste, it is necessary to investigate consumers' behavioral intentions towards e-waste thoroughly. This study integrates the theory of planned behavior, social influence theory, and personality traits to examine how consumers gauge their choice to recycle e-waste. Data were collected from randomly surveying 300 Lithuanians through a structured questionnaire. Using the PLS-SEM approach, results show that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly influence consumers' e-waste recycling intention. Regarding personality traits, only openness to experience significantly affects consumers' e-waste recycling intention. In contrast, other traits such as agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism have a non-significant influence on consumers' e-waste recycling intention. In addition, normative and informational social influence affects consumers' e-waste recycling intention. The current study advances our understanding of e-waste recycling behavior by examining how TPB, personality factors, and social influence theory influence intentions. It provides valuable insights for policymakers and marketers on understanding and encouraging the e-waste behavior of Lithuanian Y-generation consumers.
电子垃圾危机的严重性源于消费者在确保电子材料得到妥善处理方面参与度不高的事实。在这种情况下，千禧一代是电子产品的最大消费群体，但他们还没有动力可持续地处理这些电子产品。然而，要激发消费者回收电子垃圾的积极性，就必须深入调查消费者对电子垃圾的行为意图。本研究将计划行为理论、社会影响理论和人格特质相结合，考察消费者如何评估他们回收电子垃圾的选择。通过结构问卷，对 300 名立陶宛人进行了随机调查，收集了数据。使用 PLS-SEM 方法，结果表明，态度、主观规范和感知行为控制对消费者的电子垃圾回收意愿有显著影响。就人格特质而言，只有开放性体验对消费者的电子垃圾回收意愿有显著影响。相比之下，其他特质，如宜人性、尽责性、外向性和神经质对消费者的电子垃圾回收意愿没有显著影响。此外，规范性和信息性社会影响影响消费者的电子垃圾回收意愿。本研究通过考察 TPB、人格因素和社会影响理论如何影响意图，推进了我们对电子垃圾回收行为的理解。它为政策制定者和营销人员提供了有价值的见解，帮助他们了解和鼓励立陶宛 Y 世代消费者的电子垃圾行为。
