Understanding Chinese Consumers' Participation in Automobile Recalls for Environmental Defects: Applying the Protective Action Decision Model and Norm Activation Model

Abstract

Automobile recalls for environmental defects (ARED) are proposed as an environmental policy in China to address automobile emission pollution by repairing environmental defects. Given the critical role of consumer engagement in achieving a high rate of recall completion, understanding consumer behavioural responses to ARED becomes paramount for policy efficacy. This study constructs a theoretical framework by integrating the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) to elucidate the psychological decision-making mechanisms underlying consumer participation in ARED. This study also incorporates self-efficacy as a moderating variable to examine differences in consumers' behavioural responses between high and low self-efficacy groups. Using 1080 survey responses in China, structural equation models were employed to quantify the impacts of the proposed determinants on consumers' participation intention. The main results shows that personal norms, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and automobile emission knowledge significantly enhance consumers' participation intention. Personal norms are shaped by awareness of consequences, while both awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility are influenced by risk perception and automobile emission knowledge. Moreover, the multi-group path analysis reveals that these relationships vary across different levels of self-efficacy. This study advances the theoretical understanding of consumers' participation intention, and offers valuable insights for regulators and firms in optimising recall communication and implementation strategies.