Do pro-environmental factors influence sustainable behavior? The moderating role of climate change concern in China and Pakistan

This study examines the factors driving pro-environmental behavior by focusing on energy-saving, waste sorting, and reducing single-use plastics. Utilizing 380 participants' survey data from China and Pakistan, our study considers the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and climate change concern in shaping environmental intentions. Employing a structural equation modeling, we find that intentions related to climate change were positive and significantly associated with all three targeted behaviors, i.e., energy saving, waste sorting, and single-use plastic behavior. Across both countries, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and climate change concern are significant predictors of pro-environmental intention. Country-specific analysis reveals that attitudes and climate change concern in China significantly predict environmental intention, whereas in Pakistan, environmental intentions significantly predict single-use plastic use behavior. Moderation analysis shows that climate change concern did not significantly moderate the relation between intention to take climate action and waste sorting behavior for China, whereas it substantially moderates for Pakistan. However, single-use plastic reduction and climate change concern significantly moderate the relationship between intention and climate change concern and single-use plastic reduction for both countries. The findings highlight the evolving adoption of eco-friendly practices and emphasize the need for environmental policies to enhance pro-environmental behavior.