Intention to participate in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (clean India mission): Role of social identity and perceived social norm
Management of Environmental Quality
ISSN: 1477-7835
Article publication date: 25 October 2019
Issue publication date: 13 July 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct contribution of social identity and perceived social norm (PSN) to the intention of participating in collective India mission; more importantly, it also aims to verify the mediating role of PSN in the relationship between social identity and intention to participate in the programme of clean India mission.
Design/methodology/approach
The researcher has followed a correlational design, and the study has been carried out on a sample of 684 youths in the age range of 15‒24 years. The data were collected from respondents spread over five communes of Pondicherry, which is a union territory in the southern part of India. Sense of community (SOC) has been used as a measure of social identity. PSN has been considered as the mediator, and the participation intention (PI) in clean India mission has been taken as the outcome variable. Mediation analysis has been carried out with the help of AMOS package.
Findings
The findings indicate that both social identity and PSN exhibit significant positive contribution towards intention to participate in clean India mission activity. In addition, there is a partial mediation of perceived social participation norm in the relationship between SOC and PI.
Research limitations/implications
Social psychological research can contribute significantly to the collectivistic approach, as is observed from the present study. However, some other important variables such as collective efficacy and group emotion can also be included as intervening variables for this social collectivistic action.
Originality/value
This is a first type of study upon pro-environmental action through collective action in the Indian context. Moreover, it has wider relevance in policy formulation and curriculum design since Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (clean India mission) is an initiative by the Government of India.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is a part of a project sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research, India. Therefore, the author is thankful to the funding agency. A part of this paper was presented in the 28th Annual Convention of National Academy of Psychology, India, held at University of Delhi from 18 to 21 December 2018.
This article forms part of a special section “The micro-foundations of management of environmental quality”, guest edited by Sanjay Kumar.
Citation
Sia, S.K. (2020), "Intention to participate in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (clean India mission): Role of social identity and perceived social norm", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 847-856. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-06-2019-0132
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited