Understanding farmers’ willingness to withdraw from rural homesteads in China

This study examines psychological and behavioral determinants of farmers’ willingness to withdraw from rural homesteads (WWRH) in China by integrating construal level theory (CLT), theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the norm activation model (NAM). The study explains why present-oriented preferences impede voluntary participation and how policy interventions can shift individual decision-making toward long-term land reform goals. An integrated CLT-TPB-NAM framework was developed and tested using structural equation modeling. The model incorporates attitudinal dispositions, personal norms, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms and cognitive awareness via path analysis. Attitudinal dispositions exert the strongest influence on behavioral intention, followed by personal norms and perceived behavioral control. Awareness of consequences critically shapes both personal norms and attitudes, while strategic policy communication elevates construal levels. The integrated CLT-TPB-NAM framework advances behavioral land economics by demonstrating that construal-level elevation and awareness of consequences, rather than economic compensation alone, are the primary drivers of sustainable voluntary policy adoption.