Does gender matter? Attitude towards waste charging policy and pro-environmental behaviours
ISSN: 1747-1117
Article publication date: 13 July 2020
Issue publication date: 9 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
A waste charging policy had been implemented in major Asian cities like Taipei and Seoul years ago. Hong Kong is not yet to charge household rubbish, which is one of the major municipal solid waste sources. Landfill places will be exhausted in a year or two in the city. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of waste charging policies by exploring relationships among social norms, lifestyles, attitudes towards waste charging policy and pro-environmental behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Purposeful sampling was used in this study to recruit university students to take part in the survey. Purposeful sampling helps to make a “highly credible sample” (Gall et al., 2006, p.185). This study distributed questionnaires to respondents aged over 18 years. Among them, there were 404 valid questionnaires (35.6% male; 64.4% female) that were returned with a response rate of 53.9%.
Findings
It is found that attitude towards waste charging policies affects pro-environmental behaviour through lifestyles and social norms. Female respondents’ pro-environmental behaviours are affected by their lifestyles and social norms. But male respondents’ lifestyle is affected by their attitude towards policy. Attitude towards charging policy does not have an impact on young people's pro-environmental behaviours.
Originality/value
Social acceptance towards any environmental policy is a must for its final outcome. It is because attitude towards any environmental policy is a starting point to affect pro-environmental behaviours. Female respondents are more engaged in pro-environmental behaviour compared to male. Almost all big cities encourage the re-use, re-cycle and reduce of waste. Before designing and implementing relevant policy, stakeholder participation is important. The new environmental policy usually has stricter measures, such as heavier charge on municipal waste. Policymakers are advised to obtain solid arguments and data support to convince stakeholders.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was partially supported by College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE).
Citation
Wut, T.M., Ng, P., Kan, H.-K.M. and Fong, C.S. (2021), "Does gender matter? Attitude towards waste charging policy and pro-environmental behaviours", Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 17 No. 8, pp. 1100-1115. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-03-2020-0102
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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