Association between internet use and private-sphere pro-environmental behavior among Chinese residents: an exploratory study from the perspective of ecological civilization construction

Introduction This study uses data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) to examine the association between internet use and residents’ private-sphere pro-environmental behavior. Understanding the potential role of internet use in private-sphere pro-environmental behavior is crucial for designing effective environmental measures, protecting residents’ health, and advancing China’s ecological civilization construction in the digital age. Materials and methods Using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis of a sample of 2,231 respondents, this study examined the association between internet use and private-sphere pro-environmental behavior. Further analyses were conducted to test the possible indirect associations of environmental self-efficacy and environmental risk perception between the two, while controlling for a series of sociodemographic variables. Results Internet use was significantly and positively associated with private-sphere pro-environmental behavior, and robustness checks supported this finding. The indirect association of environmental risk perception between the two was significant, while no significant indirect association of environmental self-efficacy was found. However, environmental self-efficacy remained significantly and positively associated with private-sphere pro-environmental behavior. Conclusion This study shows that environmental risk perception is an important variable for understanding the association between internet use and private-sphere pro-environmental behavior. At the same time, the findings suggest that internet use may not necessarily relate to environmental self-efficacy. Therefore, we recommend focusing on residents’ environmental risk perception, optimizing the content and format of environmental risk information online, and cultivating environmental self-efficacy through offline channels. These findings further deepen the understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying the association between internet use and private-sphere pro-environmental behavior.