Understanding the factors influencing recycling behavior in college students: the role of interpersonal altruism and environmental concern
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 1 February 2021
Issue publication date: 18 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that can predict factors affecting student recycling behavior. The theoretical model was based on motivation, place attachment, environmental concern and interpersonal altruism.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study was conducted with college students in Taiwan using self-report questionnaires. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 523 were completed (response rate of 65.4%) and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to test the models and hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that environmental concern, motivation, interpersonal altruism and place attachment have significant positive effects on recycling behavior and motivation and place attachment have significant positive effects on interpersonal altruism. This research contributes to the existing literature by discriminating between two sorts of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented.
Originality/value
Few studies have linked motivation, interpersonal altruism, environmental concern and place attachment to recycling behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these relationships, specifically as they affect college students’ behavior. This paper anticipates that increased knowledge about recycling behavior could be used to support the wider adoption of recycling practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Conflict of interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Ethics statement: The study research procedures were carried out in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The exemption of this study was because the data of this questionnaire were anonymous and there is no way for readers to be able to identify the participants. There are no name lists that correspond to the respondents of the questionnaire and the names of the participant universities were not mentioned.
Informed consent: All of the subjects were informed about the research and all of the participants who were enrolled in the study provided informed consent.
The author thanks to the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan for financially supporting this research under contract MOST 107–2511-H-025 –003 -MY2.
Citation
Chao, C.-M., Yu, T.-K. and Yu, T.-Y. (2023), "Understanding the factors influencing recycling behavior in college students: the role of interpersonal altruism and environmental concern", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 969-985. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2020-0232
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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