How Do Intrinsic Motivation and Green Self-Perception Affect Proactive Garbage Sorting Behavior? An Empirical Study from 31 Provinces in China

In light of China’s mandatory garbage sorting policy, residents’ engagement in waste sorting tends to be short-term. To address this issue, this study proposes a conceptual framework to examine the relationships among motivation, green self-perception, and proactive garbage sorting behavior (PGSB). A total of 1550 questionnaires were collected across 31 provinces in China. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess measurement quality, and hierarchical regression combined with bootstrapping was employed to test the parallel mediating effects of green self-perception and its three dimensions (green self-identity, green self-efficacy, and green self-connection). The results indicate that both obligation-based and enjoyment-based intrinsic motivations are positively associated with PGSB and its sub-dimensions. Green self-perception shows a statistical indirect effect in the relationship between intrinsic motivation and behavior. Specifically, green self-identity and green self-efficacy serve as consistent and significant mediators across all behavioral outcomes. In contrast, the mediating role of green self-connection varies across behavioral types. For obligation-based motivation, it only acts as a significant negative mediator for constrained proactive garbage sorting, with no significant effect on other behaviors. For enjoyment-based motivation, it exerts a positive mediating effect on self-development PGSB but suppresses participatory and constrained PGSBs. These findings suggest that fostering green self-perception may be an important pathway associated with PGSB. The study provides policy-relevant insights for shifting residents from compliance-driven to more self-initiated participation in waste sorting.