Scale development and empirical testing of semi-organizational low-carbon environmental citizenship behaviors: evidence from international students studying in China

Low-carbon environmental behaviors (LCEB) of international students in China contribute to the implementation of China’s “Dual-carbon” strategy and can promote the global sustainable development agenda. In this study, 600 international students from 15 universities in five cities in Zhejiang Province were targeted, and a semi-organizational citizenship environmental behavior (SOCBE) analysis framework was constructed from three dimensions: individual cognition orientation, peer relationship orientation, and university organization orientation, to reveal the main influencing factors and pathways of LCEB. The results showed that (1) LCEB of international students studying in China is a multidimensional SOCBE concept, in which university organization orientation (0.437) > individual cognition orientation (0.341) > peer relationship orientation (0.275). In a semi-organized environment, both university organizations and peer relationships have a significant mediating effect on the impact of LCEB on individual international students, accounting for 58.2% of the contribution. (2) 16 observed variables influence the LCEB of international students in China. Among them, S13 (collective activity organization) has the greatest impact on the LCEB of international students, while S8 (guided by Chinese peers) and S9 (guiding Chinese peers) show the least data. It indicates that the relationship between international and Chinese students has the weakest influence on LCEB. (3) Family income, duration of study, and education level of study have significant positive effects on the LCEB of international students coming to China. In future, the management department of international students should fully recognize the role of individual cognition as the main body of SOCBE and focus on strengthening low-carbon environmental education and “Dual-carbon” knowledge propaganda and guidance for international students who come to China for a short period. In addition, it is necessary to focus on the guiding role of S13 and strengthen the interactive and experiential low-carbon environmental practice activities.