Ma Huifang, Chen Qin
Politics and Public Administration College, Qinghai Nationalities University, Xining, China.
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Feb 12;16:1494761. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1494761. eCollection 2025.
Global warming has profoundly transformed the natural environment and significantly impacted people's production methods, thereby promoting low-carbon consumption behaviors. While numerous scholars have examined the factors influencing low-carbon consumption behavior, their analyses predominantly rely on classical theoretical frameworks such as planned behavior theory, value-belief-norm theory and The ABC attitude theory. However, there is a notable scarcity of studies investigating the relationship between the social environment and low-carbon behaviors among youth groups. To address this gap in the literature, we aim to explore how the social environment influences youth groups' low-carbon consumption behaviors, as well as identify the mechanisms through which this influence may manifest.
This study examines the factors influencing low-carbon consumption behavior from three perspectives: the social environment, low-carbon cognition, and conformity consumption. A theoretical model of low-carbon consumption has been developed, and data were collected through a questionnaire survey involving 600 young individuals in the Xizang Autonomous Region. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling techniques.
The findings indicate that the social environment has a significant positive impact on both low-carbon cognition and behavior. Furthermore, low-carbon cognition is shown to positively influence low-carbon behavior. In terms of the relationship between the social environment and low-carbon behavior, it is found that low-carbon cognition acts as a mediating variable. Additionally, it was observed that lower levels of conformity consumption negatively moderate both the relationship between the social environment and low-carbon behavior as well as that between low-carbon cognition and behavior.
These findings suggest that engaging young individuals not only fosters environmental awareness but also promotes sustainable consumption, thereby establishing a solid foundation for the protection and enhancement ofour ecological environment. Furthermore, it is essential to disseminate the concept of low-carbon consumerism through various media channels and methodologies. This approach aims to enhance young individuals' understanding of low-carbon principles, guiding them toward more scientifically informed consumption habits while reducing tendencies for blind conformity.
全球变暖深刻改变了自然环境，对人们的生产方式产生了重大影响，从而推动了低碳消费行为。虽然众多学者研究了影响低碳消费行为的因素，但其分析主要依赖于计划行为理论、价值-信念-规范理论和ABC态度理论等经典理论框架。然而，研究青年群体中社会环境与低碳行为之间关系的文献明显匮乏。为了填补这一文献空白，我们旨在探讨社会环境如何影响青年群体的低碳消费行为，并确定这种影响可能显现的机制。
本研究从社会环境、低碳认知和从众消费三个角度考察影响低碳消费行为的因素。构建了一个低碳消费的理论模型，并通过对西藏自治区600名年轻人的问卷调查收集数据。使用结构方程建模技术对假设关系进行检验。
研究结果表明，社会环境对低碳认知和行为均有显著的正向影响。此外，低碳认知对低碳行为有正向影响。在社会环境与低碳行为的关系方面，发现低碳认知起到了中介变量的作用。此外，观察到较低水平的从众消费对社会环境与低碳行为之间的关系以及低碳认知与行为之间的关系均有负向调节作用。
这些研究结果表明，引导年轻人不仅能培养环境意识，还能促进可持续消费，从而为保护和改善我们的生态环境奠定坚实基础。此外，通过各种媒体渠道和方法传播低碳消费主义的概念至关重要。这种方法旨在增强年轻人对低碳原则的理解，引导他们养成更科学合理的消费习惯，同时减少盲目从众的倾向。
