From Participation to Advocacy: How Reward and Gameful Experience Influence Users’ Advocacy Intention in the Carbon Generalized System of Preferences

As climate governance increasingly shifts toward consumption-side intervention, digital platforms such as the Carbon Generalized System of Preferences have become important tools for promoting low-carbon behavior. However, existing studies have mainly focused on participation and engagement, paying limited attention to users’ advocacy intentions. Drawing on the perceived value perspective and Social Exchange Theory, this study examines how perceived rewards and gameful experiences influence advocacy intentions through perceived benefits and low perceived costs. A three-wave survey of Chinese respondents was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The results show that perceived rewards enhance perceived benefits, while gameful experiences increase perceived benefits and reduce users’ actual perceived burden. In turn, perceived benefits and lower perceived costs both promote advocacy intentions. The mediation analysis confirms the important roles of perceived benefits and low perceived costs, while the fsQCA results identify three distinct configurations leading to high advocacy intentions. This study extends CGSP research from participation to advocacy and offers practical implications for designing digital low-carbon platforms.