Search Results (327)

This study employs Gaussian kernel principal component analysis to construct a composite indicator of environmental behavior willingness from nine dimensions. Using multiple categorical ordered linear regression models and their interaction models, it examines the differential influence mechanisms of social strata (economic status, education, social prestige) and environmental perception from gender, inter-provincial, and regional perspectives. Key empirical findings are the following: (1) Environmental willingness formed within the same social stratum based on shared perception levels shows consistent characteristics, with no significant gender differences observed. (2) Higher education deepens understanding of environmental policies, promoting the shift from awareness to willingness. However, it also enhances recognition of environmental complexity, which may foster a situational sense of powerlessness, often channeled into systemic advocacy rather than the belief that individual actions are insignificant. (3) Regional disparities are evident. For example, the perception of air pollution positively correlates with willingness in Hebei and Jiangsu but negatively in Beijing and Liaoning. (4) The middle social stratum in eastern and central regions shows more stimulable environmental willingness, contributing to sustainable regional environmental engagement. Conversely, in the western region, improving the economic status of lower- and middle-stratum residents is key to significantly enhancing the sustainability of overall regional willingness. This study reveals the varied drivers of environmental willingness by integrating multidimensional indicators and a social-class perspective, highlighting the regional role of environmental perception and advancing theory on socio-cognitive interactions in environmental sociology. Practically, it provides evidence for differentiated policy design, suggesting tailored incentives across social strata and regions, including measures to address “action paralysis” among the highly educated and to combine economic support in western China for fostering sustainable public environmental participation. Full article

Achieving climate neutrality in construction requires more than available low-carbon technologies; it also depends on informed demand and consumers’ willingness to adopt sustainable materials. This paper examines ecological awareness, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward eco-friendly building materials in Poland, using four independent waves of a nationwide online survey (CAWI) conducted in 2023 and 2025 (N ≈ 1000 per wave; adults aged 18–80). The questionnaires measured environmental awareness; willingness to pay a price premium (WTP) for properties built with eco-materials; actual purchasing behavior during renovations; support for regulations mandating developers’ use of ecological materials; and key socio-demographic factors. While the results confirm a pronounced attitude–behavior gap, the article details the research design and analytical approach, reports awareness, attitudes, and WTP across waves and subgroups, and discusses implications for “soft” interventions (e.g., norms, information, defaults) that can complement regulatory frameworks and financial incentives. It concludes with limitations and practical recommendations for policymakers, industry, and civil society to accelerate the adoption of low-emission materials. Full article

Employment promotion and employment realization are the core and fundamental problems in the resettlement of land-expropriated farmers transferred to citizens. To solve this problem, it is necessary to clarify the key factors and mechanisms that affect the employment behavior of “farmers to citizens” workers. Taking the labor force from land-expropriated “farmers to citizens” in the construction of Beijing city sub-center as the research object, this paper utilizes Logistic ISM to determine the key factors affecting the employment behavior of the labor force when changing from rural to urban, as well as the internal logical relationship and hierarchical structure among the influencing factors. The results show that only 40% of the migrant workers in the sample have achieved employment, while 69% of the unemployed population have a willingness to work but are limited by age, skills, and family factors. The logistic regression model identifies that the employment behavior of land-expropriated farmers is significantly affected by 10 factors, including gender, age, work experience, hobbies, employment demand, expenditure change, employment difficulty cognition, government training, policy satisfaction and social security. Among them, ISM further reveals that these factors form a three-level hierarchical mechanism of “structure–cognition–behavior”; gender, social security and policy satisfaction are the deep-root factors, and the intermediate factors, such as hobbies and government training, affect employment demand, employment difficulty cognition and other surface factors, and ultimately affect the employment behavior of land-expropriated “farmers to citizens”. Based on this, it is proposed to start from four aspects: differentiated employment guidance, policy transmission optimization, service efficiency improvement, and industrial driving, to systematically promote the realization of more comprehensive and stable employment for the rural-to-residential population, and provide institutional guarantees and practical paths for their sustainable livelihoods. Full article

Against the backdrop of growing global environmental crises, achieving sustainability in rural areas—where economic development, ecological conservation, and social equity often intersect—has become increasingly urgent. Sustainable development theory stresses the need to turn environmental awareness into concrete action, yet in practice, a puzzling gap often remains, especially in developing contexts such as China. Why do rural residents sometimes engage in pro-environment behaviors even when their expressed awareness or willingness seems limited? To explore this question, we conducted a study in Li County, China, combining field research with regression and path analysis across three spatial dimensions: production, ecological, and living spaces. Our findings reveal a notable divergence: farmers’ environmental actions frequently surpass their cognitive understanding and stated willingness to participate in governance. This suggests that the influence of environmental cognition and participation willingness on behavior varies across different spatial contexts. We also find that household demographic and geographic attributes not only directly shape involvement in environmental governance but also mediate the relationship between cognition, willingness, and action. By untangling these complex linkages, our study offers a more nuanced understanding of rural environmental governance. We argue for governance approaches that are spatially sensitive and participatory, capable of accounting for the often non-linear pathways from perception to intent to behavior. The insights from Li County provide a valuable empirical basis for designing spatially differentiated and participatory governance policies. These findings are crucial for promoting effective environmental stewardship and achieving sustainable development goals in rural communities globally. Full article

The present research examines how employees perceive their firms’ CSR initiatives that ultimately translate into desired attitudes and behaviors, i.e., employee environmental commitment (EEC) and knowledge sharing (KS) at the workplace, by underpinning social identity theory. However, when do undesired working conditions, i.e., Perception of Politics (POP), adversely influence these desired outcomes? We deliberately selected 45 firms in the services and manufacturing sectors of Pakistan operating in larger metropolitan cities and prevalent tourist destinations, and actively participating in CSR activities. Thereafter, three self-administered surveys were conducted by employing a time-lagged design with two temporal breaks. A total of 655 surveys were distributed among middle managers across selected firms. Accordingly, it is found that employees who strongly identify with their organizations tend to align their personal values with organizational sustainability efforts and actively participate in environmentally responsible practices. They also demonstrate a greater willingness to share knowledge and enhance the organization’s collective intelligence. However, when employees perceive a high level of political behavior within the organization, their trust in its ethical standards diminishes, leading to various negative attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. This research contributed in two ways to the existing literature: (a) by examining the employees’ understandings of firms’ CSR engagements and their trickle-down effect on EEC and KS, (b) and studying when POP adversely effects the above relationship. Full article

The growing emphasis on environmental sustainability and green finance has intensified the need for effective corporate disclosures, particularly regarding biodiversity. Despite the increasing relevance of biodiversity in global investment strategies, there remains a significant research gap in understanding how corporate biodiversity information disclosure influences retail investors, particularly in emerging markets such as China. Based on this, in order to fill this research gap, this study conducts an empirical analysis using valid sample data from 464 retail investors in China and the structural equation modeling method. The results indicate that: (1) Corporate biodiversity information disclosure (CD) has a positive impact on investors’ investment confidence (IC) and investment willingness (IW). (2) Investors’ IC positively influences their IW. (3) Risk aversion (QA) weakens (negatively moderates) the effect of CD on enhancing investors’ IC. (4) QA also weakens (negatively moderates) the effect of CD on promoting investors’ IW. (5) Climate risk awareness (CA) positively moderates the effect of CD on enhancing investors’ IC. (6) CA also positively moderates the effect of CD on promoting investors’ IW. This study enriches relevant theories by emphasizing how psychological factors influence investment behavior and provides important insights for companies, policymakers, and financial intermediaries to promote sustainable investment practices. Full article

As sustainability becomes central to tourism, tourists are no longer passive consumers but active stakeholders who influence organizational behavior. This study investigates how green consumer behavior (GCB) shapes expectations for employee green competencies and organizational sustainability strategy (OSS). Data were collected through a structured survey of 326 domestic tourists in Albania. Green skills expectation (GSE) was modeled as a latent construct derived from two observed variables: green loyalty and brand image, and willingness to support sustainability. Statistical analyses included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), K-means clustering and structural equation modeling (SEM). GCB significantly predicted both OSS and GSE, confirming that green tourists influence how organizations structure and communicate their sustainability practices. Cluster analysis identified two consumer profiles: committed eco-tourists and green-adaptive tourists. This study advances current understanding of how tourists act as external agents of internal organizational change. It extends the theoretical discourse on green marketing and sustainable workforce development by positioning tourist expectations as a driver of human resource transformation. The findings offer meaningful implications for tourism operators, educators and policymakers seeking to align employee training and service delivery with the demands of sustainability-oriented travelers. In this way, the study bridges the gap between consumer behavior and workforce development, contributing to a more integrated approach to sustainable tourism. Full article

This study investigated the interrelationships among Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHASs), recreational benefits, and environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) of visitors to the Xitou Forest Recreation Area in Taiwan and estimated the conservation value of its forest recreation resources using the contingent valuation method. The structural equation modeling analysis supported six of eight hypotheses. Three LOHAS factors (environmental awareness, internal health, and external health) indirectly promoted ERB through recreational benefits, including environmental education, psychological, physiological, and social benefits. Higher income, stronger perceived recreational benefits, and recognition of ecological or facility value significantly increased visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP). Among the three identified lifestyle clusters, the health-conscious LOHAS group consistently exhibited the highest WTP at NTD$263, with a confidence interval of NTD$255–271, surpassing both the eco-friendly group (NTD$193–209) and socially engaged group (NTD$184–200), demonstrating a stronger commitment to ecological and environmental protection and recreational facility maintenance. Forest recreation managers can target different LOHAS segments and emphasize the holistic benefits of forest recreation. Implementing flexible pricing alongside environmental education can increase WTP, supporting sustainable conservation funding and improved visitor experiences. Full article

With the rapid pace of urbanization, the public-interest renovation of community spaces has emerged as a critical focus in urban planning and community development. These public spaces not only support residents’ daily activities, social interactions, and cultural endeavors but also play a vital role in shaping their quality of life and fostering community cohesion. The willingness of residents to participate in such renovation projects significantly impacts the effectiveness and success of these initiatives. This study offers a comprehensive review of both domestic and international literature, synthesizing insights from behavioral science and social psychology. It identifies four key categories of factors that influence residents’ willingness to engage in public-interest renovation efforts: external environment, project attributes, residents’ subjective perceptions, and demographic characteristics. Based on this framework, sixteen secondary indicators were selected to construct a model explaining these factors. Drawing on established measurement scales and expert interviews, a survey instrument was developed for data collection. The data, gathered through questionnaire surveys, were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the study hypotheses. The results revealed several significant findings: Among demographic factors, age, household size, and family structure were the primary differentiators of participation willingness. In terms of project attributes, comfort, openness, and sensory appeal were found to positively influence participation. External environmental factors, including policies, social atmosphere, and available information, indirectly impacted participation through residents’ perceptions. Furthermore, residents’ subjective perceptions, such as perceived usefulness and overall attitude, had direct positive effects on their willingness to participate. These findings contribute valuable insights to the field of urban sustainable development and the long-term viability of community spaces. They also provide actionable recommendations for community managers to develop targeted renovation and governance strategies that effectively engage residents. Full article

The analysis carried out in this work shows that sustainable investment decisions aimed at SDG 7 are mainly driven by objective financial attributes, especially the level of risk and the type of providing institution. The empirical analysis is based on 873 valid responses, balanced by gender and income levels, which enables us to capture heterogeneity in sustainable investment preferences. This study contributes to the literature by jointly examining personality traits and gender as explanatory factors of willingness to pay for investments aligned with SDG 7. In the general model, strong risk aversion—particularly to high risk—and a positive valuation of cooperatives stand out over factors such as explicit reference to SDG 7 or personality traits, which are not significant. Gender segmentation reveals substantial differences: women display a much higher risk aversion and a greater willingness to pay for investing in cooperatives and, to a lesser extent, in sustainable institutions; in this group, extraversion is negatively associated with the choice of SDG 7 funds. For men, risk remains key but with lower penalization, and provider type carries more moderate weight; no relevant link with personality traits is detected. Thus, the gender effect hypothesis is fully confirmed, while the personality hypothesis is partially supported. These results suggest that the design of sustainable financial products should be a WTP adapted to differentiate demographic and behavioral profiles in order to mobilize private capital toward the energy transition. Full article

Urban park areas mitigate urbanization’s negative impacts by integrating environmental, social and cultural benefits. Development strategies should enable participation and consider all user groups’ needs, following sustainability principles. However, ensuring multifunctionality often generates conflicting decisions. While the universal necessity for safety is widely acknowledged, its implementation frequently results in the diminution of a crucial sense of privacy. For example, the universally recognized need for safety may compromise the willingness sense of privacy or intimacy. This can discourage those for whom this need is important and prevent urban parks from fully utilizing their social potential. This study examines how spatial configurations of plant forms within urban parks shape personal experiences. We used an intra-group design to evaluate photographs of park spaces, manipulated using Photoshop AI algorithms to examine safety, privacy, preference, and willingness to spend time. Variables included space size and shape. The study used Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) with 300 participants. Regression and mediation analyses showed willingness to visit derives from space attractiveness, influenced by perceived safety and privacy. Analyses revealed the following: open areas were safest but the least private, corridor spaces were the least safe but the most private; curtain screens enhanced perception better than corridor screens; small spaces with corridor screens were least attractive; space size mattered less for open spaces than screened spaces; and spatial configuration was critical in assessing small spaces. The findings of this research enhance our comprehension of the perception of park spaces. They hold potential practical implications for sustainable design, facilitating the development of plant forms that are more socially effective, particularly those with substantial environmental value, such as dense vegetation that serves as visual screens. Neglecting these preferences may result in inappropriate design decisions that fail to accommodate users’ needs and behaviors, thereby not fully capitalizing on the potential of urban green spaces. Full article

This study focuses on highway service areas. Building upon prior research that identified key influencing factors through surveys and ISM–MICMAC analysis, it constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model involving the government, service area operators, and carbon reduction technology providers based on stakeholder theory. Combined with MATLAB simulations, the model reveals the dynamic patterns of the carbon reduction system. The results indicate that government strategies exert the strongest influence on the system and catalyze the other two parties, followed by service area operators. Carbon reduction technology providers adopt a more cautious stance in decision-making. Government actions shape system evolution through a “cost-benefit-incentive” triple mechanism, with its strategies exhibiting significant spillover effects on other actors. Enterprise behavior is markedly influenced by Xinjiang’s regional characteristics, where the core barriers to corporate carbon reduction lie in the costs of proactive equipment and technological investments. The willingness of technology providers to cooperate primarily depends on two drivers: incremental baseline benefits and enhanced economies of scale. The core trade-off in government decision-making lies between the cost of strong regulation (Cg1) and the cost of environmental governance under weak regulation (Cg2). An increase in Cg1 prolongs the government’s convergence time by 233.3% and indirectly suppresses the willingness of enterprises and technology providers due to weakened subsidy capacity. Enterprises are relatively sensitive to the investment costs of carbon reduction equipment and technology, with convergence time extending by 120%. Technology providers are highly sensitive to incremental baseline returns (Rt), with stabilization time extending by 500%. Compared to existing research, this model quantitatively reveals the “cost-benefit-incentive” triple transmission mechanism for carbon reduction coordination in “grid-end” regions, identifying key parameters for strategic shifts among stakeholders. Based on this, corresponding policy recommendations are provided for all three parties, offering precise and actionable directions for the sustainable advancement of carbon reduction efforts in service areas. The research conclusions can provide a replicable collaborative framework for decarbonizing transportation infra-structure in grid-end regions with high clean energy endowments. Full article

Agricultural supply chain finance plays a vital role in alleviating the financing constraints faced by agricultural business entities in developing countries and promoting inclusive and sustainable agricultural development. However, issues such as high operational risks, weak credit foundations, and insufficient risk safeguards among stakeholders in the agricultural supply chain have hindered its long-term stability. From the perspective of cooperative sustainability, this study develops a tripartite evolutionary game model involving agricultural enterprises, financial institutions, and farmers to explore the behavioral dynamics and evolutionary stability of their strategies. Using the Fuping mushroom supply chain as a case, Matlab-based simulation analysis reveals that the three-party strategy combinations failed to converge to an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) but instead exhibited dynamic changes characterized by non-periodic oscillations. Sensitivity analysis further demonstrates that farmers’ credit behavior is a key determinant of the sustainable operation of the supply chain financing system, while enhancing enterprises’ guarantee willingness can effectively mitigate farmers’ default risk. Moreover, stronger cooperative relationships between enterprises and farmers improve the overall resilience and stability of the system. The findings provide practical insights for building sustainable and resilient agricultural financial ecosystems, emphasizing the need to introduce third-party guarantee institutions, strengthen credit constraint systems, and design incentive mechanisms that promote long-term cooperation among stakeholders. Full article

This study developed and implemented a three-year educational program aimed at fostering local human resources for sustainable regional development in a depopulated area of Japan. The program was conducted within the “Period for Integrated Studies”, a compulsory cross-curricular subject in Japanese junior high schools designed to promote interdisciplinary and community-based learning. A longitudinal questionnaire survey (2021–2023) of students assessed changes in knowledge, attitudes, and awareness related to regional sustainability. The results showed significant improvements in students’ understanding of sustainability and awareness of local issues, indicating that continuous, school-based programs can promote more enduring learning outcomes than one-time interventions. However, the increase in students’ willingness to take concrete actions was limited, suggesting the need for further curriculum refinement to strengthen the link between awareness and behavioral change. This study provides empirical evidence that embedding sustainability education systematically within the existing curriculum framework can effectively foster young people’s capacity to engage with the future of their local communities. Full article

This article analyzes the determinants of public support for environmental policies in Bulgaria—a post-socialist context marked by low salience of ecological issues, socio-economic pressures, and fragile institutional trust. Based on descriptive statistical analysis of a nationally representative face-to-face survey conducted in 2023 (N = 1002), it explores environmental awareness, motivations, and readiness for pro-environmental behavior (PEB). The findings reveal a distinctive pattern—a weak engagement paradox—where low awareness nonetheless coexists with high declared willingness to act. This readiness is mainly shaped by financial motives, local contexts, and generational differences, while trust remains concentrated in scientific expertise rather than political institutions. The study argues that declarative support, even when influenced by social desirability, can serve as a policy resource. Low-cost behavioral interventions, such as nudging, could leverage this latent willingness by making sustainable choices more visible and socially rewarding, gradually strengthening trust and engagement. Full article