Fostering Resident Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Roles of Destination Image and Confucian Culture

Abstract

Residents are important participants and stakeholders in destination development. Identifying factors that assist in predicting resident pro-environmental behavior (PEB) may contribute to enhanced sustainability. Based on a traditional Chinese culture, this research constructed a model of resident PEB by introducing pro-environmental destination image (PEDI) and Confucianism as the independent and moderating variables, respectively. The structural equation modeling for 402 residents indicated the model had a satisfactory level of predictive power for PEB. The results showed that: (1) PEDI positively affected residents’ environmental identity, pro-environmental attitudes, and PEB; (2) environmental identity and pro-environmental attitudes completely mediated the impact of PEDI on residents’ PEB; and (3) Confucian culture had a positive U-shaped moderating effect in the relationships among these four variables. Overall, these findings advance the understanding of the formation of PEB in Confucian culture and provide theoretical and practical implications for fostering residents’ PEB.

The Sustainable Development of Organic Agriculture-Tourism: The Role of Consumer Landscape and Pro-Environment Behavior

“…Therefore, visitors' knowledge about resources in consumer landscapes can enhance their environmental awareness and environmental identity. Relevant studies have concurred that a reinforced environmental identity can assist in the development of pro-environmental behaviors among visitors [16,17,34].…”

“…In other words, having a stronger appreciation of the natural environment and spending more time engaging in recreational nature visits can generate more pro-environmental behaviors. This shows that resources expended in tourism provide visitors with natural environments, promote their comprehension of environmental knowledge and value, helps enhance their environmental identity, and develop pro-environment behaviors [6,16,17]. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed: Hypothesis 1 (H1): Resources in consumer landscape positively and significantly influence an environmental identity.…”

“…Consumer landscape is defined as tangible and intangible humanistic and natural landscape resources that are of significance and value to visitors that will influence their consumption behavior. The studies by Sauer; Dai, Zhuang, Yan, and Zhang; and Shen et al served as references [16,27,30]. An online blog search was conducted and 80 comments left by visitors to organic farms in Taiwan's Hualien-Taitung region were collected.…”

“…Environmental identity is the personal behavior that develops as a result of human-environment interactions. It simultaneously includes how we act with and within different environments, as well as the significance and affection perceived in these interactions [15,16]. According to relevant studies, environmental identity is an important variable that influences pro-environmental behaviors [16,17].…”

“…It simultaneously includes how we act with and within different environments, as well as the significance and affection perceived in these interactions [15,16]. According to relevant studies, environmental identity is an important variable that influences pro-environmental behaviors [16,17]. Furthermore, Kyle, Graefe, Manning, and Bacon conducted a study on recreational trail users in the U.S. and revealed that those with a stronger place attachment to specific trails held a stronger perception of environmental impacts [18].…”