Better future with better us: Exploring young people's energy-saving behavior based on norm activation theory

Abstract

Conserving energy use is a shared responsibility of all people, and it is essential for mitigating climate warming. The purpose of this study is to investigate energy-saving behaviors and the influencing factors of young people. We developed a new theoretical framework by adding self-efficacy and information publicity to norm activation theory. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze 360 sample data from different regions in China. The findings show that attribution of responsibility and awareness of consequence are important prerequisites for personal norm. Personal norm positively influences energy-saving intention. Interestingly, information publicity has a significant positive effect on both intention and behavior to save energy, while self-efficacy only significantly affects energy-saving intention. This study focuses on the young group and enriches the research on factors influencing residents' energy-saving behaviors. The findings provide insightful ideas for governments and communities to guide individual energy conservation behaviors.

Examining young people’s awareness of electricity consumption during the energy crisis from the perspective of economics students in Hungary

“…The survey was conducted in a form of a questionnaire (Si et al, 2022) with self-administered questionnaires, which were completed anonymously, voluntarily, and exclusively for research purposes. The authors paid attention to the university's ethical rules and those of GDPR while completing the questionnaires, which had not been pre-validated so reliability was checked by re-sampling 15 people with results similar to the original questionnaire.…”

Sustainable Energy Consumption Insights: Understanding Electricity-saving Behaviour Drivers among Young Adults in Ho Chi Minh City

“…Personal norms are an important psychological aspect that impacts energy-saving goals favourably. Personal norms have a favourable impact on energy-saving intentions (Si et al, 2022).…”

“…This fosters a more environmentally sustainable energy environment. Conserving energy is critical for minimising climate change and is the duty of both companies and individuals (Si et al, 2022). Renewable energy not only serves to mitigate the effects of climate change, but it also promotes technological innovation, job development and energy security.…”

“…Human exploitation of natural resources causes global environmental degradation, impacting both the most densely populated and the most remote areas of the globe (Vuong and Bui, 2023;Campos et al, 2021). Thus, fostering a sense of environmental concern among young adults is critical (Si et al, 2022). Understanding the significance of attaining climate neutrality, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and fostering the well-being of the environment and the planet is essential for the younger generation (Chen and Gou, 2022).…”

Using the PLS-SEM model to study the factors that affect the willingness of college students to pay for carbon offsets based on a TPB and NAM approach

“…Yang and Qu 29 added media use and SN variables to the NAM model to explore the in uencing factors of the ecological environmental behavior of enterprise employees in the construction of an ecological civilization. Si et al 30 added self-e cacy and information promotion to the NAM to explore the energy-saving behavior of adolescents and its in uencing factors.…”