The Influence of Message Framing on Residents’ Waste Separation Willingness—The Mediating Role of Moral Identity

Abstract

With serious environmental problems increasing, waste separation has drawn much attention. Message framing is an important way to popularize separation knowledge and increase people’s separation willingness. Message framing was classified into positive and negative frames in this study, and then based on moral identity theory from the social cognitive perspective, two dimensions of moral identity were introduced as mediating variables to construct a mechanism model of the influence of message framing on waste separation willingness. After a comparative study of three groups of subjects (N = 604), the following conclusions were drawn: (1) message framing positively influenced moral identity and waste separation willingness; (2) both positive and negative message framing positively influenced waste separation willingness through the partial mediating role of moral identity symbolization and internalization; and (3) the mediating role of symbolization was stronger in the effect of positive message framing on waste separation willingness, while the mediating role of internalization was stronger in the effect of negative message framing on waste separation willingness. The findings provide significant information for organizations to effectively carry out message strategies.

Effects of Incentives and Penalties on Farmers’ Willingness and Behavior to Separate Domestic Waste-Analysis of Farm Household Heterogeneity Based on Chain Multiple Intermediary Effects

“…However, farmers do not usually take the initiative to understand and learn information related to domestic waste sorting, but need to be driven to grasp information related to domestic waste sorting through the external driver of government policy intervention [42], i.e., rewards and punishments can be one of the ways to enhance farmers' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of domestic waste sorting. Li Wei et al [43] argued that when policy propaganda is conducted for a certain aspect of information, it affects individuals' perceptions of a certain aspect, which in turn affects their related willingness or behavior. Ding et al [44] suggested that official information as an external stimulus can enhance residents' knowledge and thus drive them to engage in related behavioral activities.…”