Does Knowing More Mean Doing More? The Co-Development of Environmental Knowledge and Pro-Environmental Behavior

Environmental education seeks to promote pro-environmental behavior through knowledge development, yet cross-sectional evidence cannot establish whether greater initial knowledge is associated with subsequent behavioral improvement or whether knowledge and behavior develop together. This study examined these distinct relationships among Chinese adults over approximately 12 weeks, with 722 eligible participants completing all waves; some demonstrated environmental knowledge but reported limited pro-environmental engagement. Univariate and parallel-process latent growth curve models estimated trajectories of environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behavior, associations between their initial levels and growth rates, and the contributions of age, gender, and educational attainment. Both constructs showed significant positive mean linear slopes, with significant individual differences in initial levels and rates of change. After demographic adjustment, initial knowledge was positively associated with initial behavior (β = 0.363, p < 0.001) but was not significantly associated with behavioral growth (β = −0.106, p = 0.051). In contrast, faster knowledge growth was associated with faster behavioral growth (β = 0.565, p < 0.001). An exploratory analysis also identified a negative association between initial behavior and subsequent knowledge growth. Educational attainment was the only demographic characteristic examined that was positively associated with both initial levels and growth rates of both constructs. By distinguishing baseline knowledge–behavior associations from associations involving subsequent change, this study demonstrates that baseline knowledge and ongoing knowledge growth have distinct relationships with behavioral development. Specifically, higher baseline knowledge is associated with more frequent baseline pro-environmental behavior, while faster knowledge growth is associated with faster behavioral improvement over time. The findings support evaluating environmental education through both baseline assessments and repeated measures of knowledge and behavior, rather than treating initial knowledge or knowledge gains alone as sufficient indicators of behavioral progress.