Effects of social capital, risk perception and awareness on environmental protection behavior

Abstract

Environmental protection is an essential issue for sustainable development, and its execution power mainly comes from individual environmental protection behavior. This study investigates the resident environmental protection behaviors and influencing factors in the ecologically fragile areas of western China based on a total of 1062 households by adopting the participatory assessment method. Then, this study used the structural equation model to empirically analyze the impact of social capital, environmental risk perception, and environmental awareness on residents' environmental protection behavior. The results showed that environmental awareness is the basis for practicing environmental protection behavior, consistent with the existing research; social capital has a significant impact on residents' environmental protection behavior, with an impact coefficient of 0.347. Hence, environmental risk perception has an indirect influence on environmental protection behavior through environmental awareness. Besides, compared with urban residents, rural residents' environmental awareness and social capital have a stronger role in environmental protection behavior. The study clarified the influence path of residents' environmental protection behavior, thus effectively providing a decision-making basis for the government to guide residents in the environmental governance system.

Research on the Impact of Members’ Social Capital within Agricultural Cooperatives on Their Adoption of IPM in China

“…As shown in Table 4 , social capital within agricultural cooperatives significantly and positively affects members’ cognition of IPM technology at the 1% level with a coefficient of 0.449. This is consistent with the findings of Su et al [ 17 ]. They pointed out that farmers with rich social capital could acquire knowledge more conveniently and had a more comprehensive cognition of the values that arable land possesses, such as economic production, social security, and ecological conservation.…”

“…First, social capital within agricultural cooperatives can positively and significantly influence members’ IPM technology adoption behavior, which validates Hypothesis 1 of this paper. Additionally, the finding is consistent with the results of previous studies [ 17 ]. The potential reasons are that rich social capital within agricultural cooperatives accompanied by complex social networks can help members access more interpersonal and information resources.…”

“…Social cognitive theory suggests that the social environment acts directly on individuals’ cognitive levels and behavioral choices. Social capital is a particular constitutive form of the social environment that influences individuals’ cognitive levels and behavioral choices [ 17 ]. Social networks, internal trust, and norms constitute the social capital within agricultural cooperatives, which is the key socioeconomic environment for their members and influences their cognitive level.…”

Online or offline? The impact of environmental knowledge acquisition on environmental behavior of Chinese farmers based on social capital perspective

“…In the age of mobile internet, people can interact online through social media. Some studies point out that online interaction can be achieved across time and space constraints (F Su et al, 2021). However, the authenticity and real-time characteristics of traditional offline interactions make offline interactions to be considered as one of the main ways for people to access information (D Agapito et al, 2013).…”

“…So, when we focus on people's awareness of environmental protection behaviour, we consider their knowledge of environmental protection, which in turn influences their willingness and behaviour to protect the environment (Zhou Y et al, 2019). According to communication theory, in the process of information interaction, factors such as the object of communication and the way of communication affect the final communication effect (F Su et al, 2021). Therefore, this study analyses the influence of the type of knowledge source on the environmental protection willingness and behaviour of farmers in the process of focusing on the formation of their environmental protection awareness, and proposes corresponding environmental protection publicity strategies to assist the rural environmental protection cause.…”