Discrepancies between farmers' willingness and behavior: an analysis of participation in cooperative economic organizations

Introduction Although most respondents express a strong willingness to join cooperatives, a substantial behavioral gap remains. Specifically, while 82.5% of surveyed farmers reported willingness to participate, only 27.4% actually engaged in cooperative activities. This highlights a significant intention–behavior discrepancy in rural cooperative participation, which warrants systematic investigation. Methods Using survey data from 530 rural households in Guizhou Province, this study applies multinomial logistic regression and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to explore determinants and hierarchical structures influencing the intention–behavior gap in cooperative participation. Results Regression results show that cooperative support for livelihood security and market expansion significantly reduces willingness–behavior discrepancies, while political leadership and cadre encouragement play important mediating roles. ISM analysis identifies political leadership and legal awareness as deep institutional drivers shaping behavioral realization. A paradoxical short-term effect is observed: higher legal awareness correlates with increased behavioral deviation, as informed farmers may perceive institutional risks. Over the long term, embedded within effective governance structures, legal awareness enhances confidence and supports intention–behavior alignment. Discussion By integrating regression and ISM, this study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by incorporating institutional mechanisms, advances methodological approaches, and provides practical policy recommendations to narrow farmers' intention–behavior gaps.