Search Results (465)

Understanding the social drivers of pro-environmental behavior in urban forests and green spaces is critical for addressing sustainability challenges. Subjective norms serve as a key pathway through which social expectations influence individuals’ behavioral intentions. Despite mixed findings in the literature regarding the impact of subjective norms on individuals’ intentions, there is a research gap about the determinants of this construct. This study was conducted to explore how social expectations shape perceived subjective norms among visitors of urban forests. A theoretical model was developed with subjective norms at its center, incorporating their predictors including social identity, media influence, interpersonal influence, and institutional trust, personal norms as a mediator, and behavioral intention as the outcome variable. Using structural equation modeling, data was collected and analyzed from a sample of visitors of urban forests in Tehran, Iran. The results revealed that subjective norms play a central mediating role in linking external social factors to behavioral intention. Social identity emerged as the strongest predictor of subjective norms, followed by media and interpersonal influence, while institutional trust had no significant effect. Subjective norms significantly influenced both personal norms and intentions, and personal norms also directly predicted intention. The model explained 50.9% of the variance in subjective norms and 39.0% in behavioral intention, highlighting its relatively high explanatory power. These findings underscore the importance of social context and internalized norms in shaping sustainable behavior. Policy and managerial implications suggest that strategies should prioritize community-based identity reinforcement, media engagement, and peer influence over top-down institutional messaging. This study contributes to environmental psychology and the behavior change literature by offering an integrated, empirically validated model. It also provides practical guidance for designing interventions that target both social and moral dimensions of environmental action. Full article

In today’s dynamic and highly uncertain environment, organizations, particularly in the aviation sector, face increasing challenges that demand resilient, flexible, and data-driven change management decisions. Responding to the growing need for structured approaches to managing complex uncertainties—geopolitical tensions, economic volatility, social shifts, rapid technological advancements, environmental pressures and regulatory changes—this research proposes a theoretical change management model for aviation service providers, such as airports. Integrating three analytical approaches, the model offers a robust, multi-method approach for supporting sustainable transformation under uncertainty. Normative analysis using Bayesian decision theory identifies influential external environmental factors, capturing probabilistic relationships, and revealing causal links under uncertainty. Prescriptive planning through scenario theory explores alternative future pathways and helps to identify possible predictions, offer descriptive evaluation employing fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, and assess decision quality under vagueness and complexity. The proposed four-stage model—observation, analysis, evaluation, and response—offers a methodology for continuous external environment monitoring, scenario development, and data-driven, proactive change management decision-making, including the impact assessment of change and development. The proposed model contributes to the theoretical advancement of the change management research area under uncertainty and offers practical guidance for aviation organizations (airports) facing a volatile external environment. This framework strengthens aviation organizations’ ability to anticipate, evaluate, and adapt to multifaceted external changes, supporting operational flexibility and adaptability and contributing to the sustainable development of aviation services. Supporting aviation organizations with tools to proactively manage systemic uncertainty, this research directly supports the integration of sustainability principles, such as resilience and adaptability, for long-term value creation through change management decision-making. Full article

Traditional energy conservation policies have primarily relied on economic incentives and informational campaigns. However, recent insights from behavioral and social sciences indicate that subtle behavioral interventions, particularly social nudges, can significantly influence household electricity use. This paper presents a structured review of 23 recent field studies examining how social nudging strategies, such as peer comparison, group identity, and normative messaging, have contributed to measurable reductions in electricity consumption. By analyzing intervention outcomes across different regions and formats, we identify key success factors, limitations, and policy implications. Special attention is given to ethical considerations, fairness in implementation, and potential challenges in sustaining behavior change. This study offers a framework for integrating social nudges into future energy policies, emphasizing their role as low-cost, scalable tools for promoting sustainable energy behavior. Full article

Individual willingness to pay (WTP) for green energy plays a vital role in mitigating climate change. Based on social cognitive theory (SCT), which emphasizes the dynamic interaction among individual cognition, behavior and the environment, this study develops a theoretical model to identify factors influencing green energy WTP. The study is based on 585 valid questionnaire responses from urban areas in China and uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to reveal the linear causal path. Meanwhile, fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is utilized to identify the combined paths of multiple conditions leading to a high WTP, making up for the limitations of SEM in explaining complex mechanisms. The SEM analysis shows that social trust, social networks, and social norms have a significant positive impact on individual green energy WTP. And this influence is further transmitted through the mediating role of environmental self-efficacy and expectations of environmental outcomes. The FsQCA results identified three combined paths of social capital and environmental cognitive conditions, including the Network–Norm path, the Network–efficacy path and the Network–Outcome path, all of which can achieve a high level of green energy WTP. Among them, the social networks are a core condition in every path and a key element for enhancing the high green energy WTP. This study promotes the expansion of SCT, from emphasizing the linear role of individual cognition to focusing on the configuration interaction between social structure and psychological cognition, provides empirical evidence for formulating differentiated social intervention strategies and environmental education policies, and contributes to sustainable development and the green energy transition. Full article

This study examines food safety and waste behaviours depicted in the televised cooking competition MasterChef, a globally franchised series that showcases diverse culinary traditions and influences viewers’ practices. The research focuses on the MasterChef editions aired in Turkey and the United Kingdom, two countries with distinctly different social and cultural contexts. Video content analysis, based on predefined criteria, was employed to assess observable behaviours related to food safety and waste. Additionally, content analysis of episode transcripts identified verbal references to these themes. Principal Component Analysis was employed to categorise patterns in the observed behaviours. The findings revealed frequent lapses in food safety, with personal hygiene breaches more commonly observed in MasterChef UK, while cross-contamination issues were more prevalent in MasterChef Turkey. In both versions, the use of disposable materials and the discarding of edible food parts emerged as the most common waste-related practices. These behaviours appeared to be shaped by the cultural and culinary norms specific to each country. The study highlights the importance of cooking shows in promoting improved food safety and waste management practices. It recommends involving relevant experts during production and clearly communicating food safety and sustainability messages to increase viewer awareness and encourage positive behaviour change. Full article

European integration aims to achieve spatially sustainable development across the member states. However, the success of socio-economic integration is conditioned by structural features of the economies, which, hitherto, appear highly diversified across the EU countries. The paper focuses on the structural conditions of the process of income inequality convergence. It aims to identify differences in the convergence regarding the structural conditions of the economies. To fulfil the research tasks the paper classifies the 27 European member states according to their sectional employment structures using the Ward method. It then tests the appearance of beta convergence using FE panel models for the specified clusters of economies. It also considers structural change, measured by the NAV (norm of absolute value), as a determinant of income inequality convergence. The main research period covers 2009–2021. The findings of the paper confirm that income inequality convergence occurs within the groups of economies specified by different structural conditions. Importantly, the clustering according to the similarity of the employment structure overlaps with the division along the lines of the ‘new’ and ‘old’ member states, which proves the importance of historically shaped institutions for development. However, the observed convergence does not lead to improved social cohesion. Social policy, especially in the ‘new’ member states, is not able to offset the growth in market income inequality additionally stimulated by the structural changes. It can be concluded that an urgent need to design new solutions for social policy concerning structural transformation in employment in the EU emerges. Full article

Against the backdrop of evolving global climate patterns, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have increased significantly, posing unprecedented threats to agricultural production. This change has particularly profound impacts on agricultural systems in developing countries, making the enhancement of farmers’ capacity to withstand extreme weather events a crucial component for achieving sustainable agricultural development. As an essential safeguard for agricultural production, agricultural insurance plays an indispensable role in risk management. However, a pronounced gap persists between policy aspirations and actual adoption rates among farmers in developing economies. This study employs the integrated theory of planned behavior (TPB) and protection motivation theory (PMT) to construct an analytical framework incorporating psychological, socio-cultural, and risk-perception factors. Using Jiangsu Province—a representative high-risk agricultural region in China—as a case study, we administered 608 structured questionnaires to farmers. Structural equation modeling was applied to identify determinants influencing insurance adoption decisions. The findings reveal that farmers’ agricultural insurance purchase decisions are influenced by multiple factors. At the individual level, risk perception promotes purchase intention by activating protection motivation, while cost–benefit assessment enables farmers to make rational evaluations. At the social level, subjective norms can significantly enhance farmers’ purchase intention. Further analysis indicates that perceived severity indirectly enhances purchase intention by positively influencing attitude, while response costs negatively affect purchase intention by weakening perceived behavior control. Although challenges such as cognitive gaps and product mismatch exist in the intention-behavior transition, institutional trust can effectively mitigate these issues. It not only strengthens the positive impact of psychological factors on purchase intention, but also significantly facilitates the transformation of purchase intention into actual behavior. To promote targeted policy interventions for agricultural insurance, we propose corresponding policy recommendations from the perspective of public intervention based on the research findings. Full article

This study examines the cultural and social dynamics influencing the low-carbon energy transition in Poland and Germany, highlighting the pivotal role of social norms and environmental identity in shaping public engagement with sustainable energy policies. The research employs a comparative qualitative analysis to understand how cultural underpinnings affect the adoption of sustainable behaviors and policy acceptance in distinct national contexts. Results indicate a profound disparity in environmental identity and social norms between the two countries, with Germany exhibiting a more integrated ecological consciousness and robust social norms that facilitate the adoption of sustainable practices. Conversely, Poland shows emergent behavioral changes influenced primarily by European Union policies and less entrenched ecological norms. The study concludes that effective energy transition strategies require not only technological and policy innovation but also cultural and social adaptability to ensure wide acceptance and implementation. Emphasizing the need for culturally informed policies, the findings suggest that aligning energy transition initiatives with prevailing social norms and identities significantly enhances their efficacy and public support. Full article

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management programs can help to mitigate the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. However, their success largely depends on the public willingness to engage in the pro-environmental separation and delivery of MSW, particularly for difficult-to-manage items such as electronics, batteries and appliances, which often contain toxic materials. Most existing research tends to focus on infrastructure improvements or behavioral interventions, with little integration of psychosocial and contextual analyses to develop evidence-based strategies for increasing community participation in the sustainable management of MSW. To address this gap, we conducted a study combining quantitative data from surveys with qualitative and geospatial data obtained through social mapping sessions and information obtained from local waste collectors in five municipalities in Norte de Santander, Colombia—a region marked by high socioeconomic vulnerability. Our study presents a novel integration of psychosocial and geospatial data to inform MSW interventions in low-resource settings. We identified that the awareness of the consequences of poor MSW management, the awareness of environmental benefits of delivery and the subjective norm predicts the willingness to separate and deliver MSW. Nonetheless, various psychosocial and contextual barriers hinder these actions. Based on these insights, we propose a low-cost, community-tailored intervention to enhance the separation and delivery of difficult-to-manage MSW and foster civic engagement in similar socio-environmental contexts. Full article

Against the backdrop of global climate change, enhancing farmers’ adaptive capacity to reduce crop production risks has emerged as a critical concern for governments and researchers worldwide. Drawing on social capital theory, this study develops a four-dimensional measurement framework comprising social networks, social trust, social norms, and social participation, utilizing survey data from 1772 households in the Yellow River Basin. We employ factor analysis to construct comprehensive social capital scores and apply ordered Probit models to examine how social capital influences farmers’ climate adaptation behaviors, with particular attention to the moderating roles of agricultural extension interaction and digital literacy. Key findings include: (1) Adoption patterns: Climate adaptation behavior adoption remains low (60%), with technical adaptation measures showing particularly poor uptake (13%); (2) Direct effects: Social capital significantly promotes adaptation behaviors, with social trust (p < 0.01), networks (p < 0.01), and participation (p < 0.05) demonstrating positive effects, while social norms show no significant impact; (3) Heterogeneous effects: Impact mechanisms differ by crop type, with grain producers relying more heavily on social networks (+, p < 0.01) and cash crop producers depending more on social trust (+, p < 0.01); (4) Moderating mechanisms: Agricultural extension interaction exhibits scale-dependent effects, negatively moderating the relationship for large-scale farmers (p < 0.05) while showing no significant effects for smaller operations; digital literacy consistently demonstrates negative moderation, whereby higher literacy levels weaken social capital’s promotional effects (p < 0.01). Policy recommendations: Effective climate adaptation strategies should integrate strengthened rural social organization development, differentiated agricultural extension systems tailored to farm characteristics, and enhanced rural digital infrastructure investment. Full article

Pregnancy and birth are biological processes shaped by social factors, requiring sociological approaches to explain reproductive behaviour. This narrative review outlines the importance of health sociology against the background that health and illness behaviour is influenced by the social environment. The aim of this paper is to summarize the current state of research on the influence of social systems and social milieu behaviour on reproduction, pregnancy, and childbirth in order to make it easier for midwives and doctors to take these factors into account in their everyday clinical and outpatient work. First, the paper lays out the basics of how health and illness are socially constructed, looking at it from both a structural and action-oriented perspective. It then goes on to explain what this means for pregnancy and childbirth as social processes, how women’s health is related to the social construction of gender roles, that breastfeeding is also a social process, and what conclusions can be drawn for the work of midwives. Pregnancy and birth are social processes based on norms and role attributions: “Decisions” regarding one’s own reproductivity are usually only “self-determined” to a limited extent and tend to occur in the context of social norms and milieu-specific role expectations. The promotion of women’s health depends on how milieu-specific norms and logics of action are understood. For all the professions involved in obstetrics, this results in the need for a critical examination of the sociological aspects of health. This implies the necessity for all obstetric professions to critically examine aspects of the sociology of health in order to provide women and their families with appropriate, evidence-based and client-centred care in the context of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, against the background of constant social change. Full article

Gender equity is one of the most complex contemporary challenges, encompassing political, economic, labor, and cultural dimensions. This study aims to analyze the impact of public policies, labor practices, and social movements in promoting gender equity across various socio-political contexts. To answer the central question of how these elements influence a reduction in gender inequalities, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted, complemented by a Bibliometric Analysis, following PRISMA protocol guidelines. The bibliographic search, carried out in the Scopus database, covered the period from 2015 to 2025 and identified 26 relevant studies that met the predefined inclusion criteria. The results reveal that, despite progress in formulating policies aimed at combating gender-based violence and promoting equality, the implementation of these measures is hindered by a lack of inter-institutional coordination and the persistence of deeply rooted cultural norms. Likewise, structural inequalities in the labor sphere are evident, such as the gender wage gap and barriers to professional advancement. On the other hand, social movements have emerged as key actors—including governmental institutions, civil society organizations, and healthcare providers—in highlighting and transforming these disparities by driving changes in political agendas and increasing women’s representation in decision-making positions. In summary, this study underscores the need to adopt intersectional and comprehensive approaches to achieve effective and sustainable gender equity, while comparing the influence of policies across different global regions. Full article

Questioning motherhood as a social mandate has been one of the main objectives of feminism. Motherhood has traditionally been linked to the idea of femininity and the reproductive function, which has led to women being thought of as “compulsory mothers”. However, this idea is currently changing, despite the fact that judgment is exercised on non-mothers. This research is part of a cross-sectional descriptive study, whose objective is to analyze the barriers and incentives to childbearing in the female population. A questionnaire was designed and administered to a representative sample of 318 women who were selected for our analysis, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%. Results: Economic motives correlate positively with other variables, as well as work motives, the couple’s decision to not want to have children, and not having a stable partner, which suggests that these women have different motives for choosing not to have children. The main conclusions are that social and family pressures appear to have a limited impact on the decision not to have children, suggesting a change in social norms and expectations about the role of women in society, as women continue to gain autonomy and control over their reproductive decisions. Full article

Weight stigma remains a pervasive issue in contemporary society, impacting individuals’ psychological well-being, social inclusion, and access to opportunities. This study explored the lived experiences of overweight women, focusing on body image, stigma, and engagement with dominant health and beauty norms. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, online in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 women aged 25 to 51, primarily residing in southern and eastern Europe (Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Romania, and Bulgaria), with three participants from the United Kingdom. Thematic analysis revealed four key themes: workplace discrimination, pressures during pregnancy and the postpartum period, ambivalence toward body positivity movements, and the emotional toll of stigma, including extreme coping strategies. Participants described being marginalized professionally, scrutinized publicly and within families, and caught between ideals of inclusivity and persistent societal rejection. The findings emphasize the psychological burden of weight-based discrimination and the superficial nature of many body acceptance campaigns. This study calls for structural changes in healthcare, media, and employment practices to support body diversity and dismantle entrenched biases. By centering the voices of overweight women, the research contributes to broader discussions on embodiment, social justice, and intersectionality within the field of body image scholarship. Full article

Energy-efficient consumption has become a strategic priority to mitigate global climate change and enhance national energy security. While social media has reshaped online consumption behavior, the mechanisms through which these digital platforms influence energy-efficient purchasing remain underexplored. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by integrating price perception variables and applies multi-group structural equation modeling to examine how social media shapes Chinese consumers’ intentions to purchase energy-efficient air conditioning. The results show that (1) social media exposure strengthens energy-efficient purchasing intentions indirectly via behavioral attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control; (2) price perception is negatively associated with purchase intention; and (3) these effects vary by age cohort, gender, and income—Generation Z and female consumers are more susceptible to social media influence, while low-income groups exhibit heightened price sensitivity. These findings advance TPB theory and offer guidance for digital platform policies aimed at promoting energy-efficient consumption. Full article