Linking informal social interaction to residents’ pro-environmental behaviors: Evidence and implications for environmental policy making

Abstract

Pro-environmental behavior plays a pivotal role in shaping effective environmental policy making. As an integral part of residents’ everyday life, informal social interaction exerts a significant influence on individuals’ pro-environmental behaviors. Utilizing data from the CGSS 2021, we employed regression models to analyze how informal social interactions influence pro-environmental behaviors in public and private domains. The sample comprises 2741 respondents, covering diverse backgrounds in gender, education, political status, religious beliefs and socioeconomic status. The results show that informal social interaction significantly promotes pro-environmental behaviors in both public and private domains, though its impact varies by gender, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, and religious belief. Women, due to their greater caregiving responsibilities, are more likely to engage in private-sphere pro-environmental behaviors under the influence of informal social networks. Among CPC members, informal social interaction is associated with greater participation in public environmental actions, likely driven by image management incentives. Conversely, its influence on public-sphere behavior among religious individuals is limited, reflecting the distinctive nature of religious practice in China. Moreover, individuals with higher socioeconomic status are more responsive to informal social cues in the public environmental domain, exhibiting stronger engagement. In the private domain, informal social interaction fosters pro-environmental behavior by enhancing environmental knowledge and risk perception. However, in the public domain, risk perception fails to mediate this relationship, as individuals with heightened risk awareness often question the efficacy of personal actions, leading to reduced participation. This research provides valuable insights for environmental policy-making and contributes to the understanding of factors influencing pro-environmental behaviors.