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Explaining citizens’ pro‐environmental behaviours in public and private spheres: The mediating role of willingness to sacrifice for the environment
Author(s) -
Tsai ChinChang,
Li Xiangyu Dale,
Wu WeiNing
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australian journal of public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-8500
pISSN - 0313-6647
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8500.12504
Subject(s) - public sphere , government (linguistics) , sustainability , private sphere , perception , business , public relations , sacrifice , public economics , political science , economics , psychology , politics , geography , ecology , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology , neuroscience , law , biology
Prior public administration research emphasises the importance of environmental protection and sustainability, but most studies have focused on governmental actions and public employees’ pro‐environmental behaviours (PEBs). Little is known about why and how citizens perform PEBs in their public or private spheres. To fill the research gap, we draw from related literature and develop a conceptual model explaining how citizens’ perceptions of public values, government, and the environment impact citizens’ PEBs in public and private spheres. By analysing a Taiwan Social Change Survey data, we find that the willingness to sacrifice for the environment shows a significant mediating effect on the relationships between citizens’ PEBs and most public values, government, and environmental determinants. The results also demonstrate how citizens’ PEBs in the public sphere differ from those in the private sphere. Implications for theory and practice are addressed.