Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy
Abstract The study investigates residents’ behavior towards reducing the use of single-use plastic (SUP), specifically in the context of food packaging. The widespread view holds that pro-environmental behavior (PB) results from a person’s moral and rational deliberations. In reducing single-use pla...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55192-5 |
| _version_ | 1797275165423304704 |
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| author | Oluseye O. Oludoye Nuta Supakata Sarawut Srithongouthai Vorapot Kanokkantapong Stephan Van den Broucke Lanrewaju Ogunyebi Mark Lubell |
| author_facet | Oluseye O. Oludoye Nuta Supakata Sarawut Srithongouthai Vorapot Kanokkantapong Stephan Van den Broucke Lanrewaju Ogunyebi Mark Lubell |
| author_sort | Oluseye O. Oludoye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The study investigates residents’ behavior towards reducing the use of single-use plastic (SUP), specifically in the context of food packaging. The widespread view holds that pro-environmental behavior (PB) results from a person’s moral and rational deliberations. In reducing single-use plastic (SUP) consumption and waste, the relative roles of rationality and morality models in validating PB among rural and urban residents are not yet clear. In this empirical study, we compared the relative efficacy of two models for explaining people’s SUP reduction behavior: the theory of planned behavior (TPB; rationality) and the value belief norm (VBN; morality). We investigated Thailand’s rural (Sichang Island) and metropolitan (Nonthaburi city) areas. As a result, we surveyed people living on Sichang Island (n = 255) and in Nonthaburi city (n = 310). We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) for data analysis in this study. Findings showed that while morality better justified all the study participants’ SUP reduction behavior, rationality underpinned behaviors of rural residents, while morality better explained the actions of city residents. We discussed future theoretical development and a policy roadmap based on these findings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:09:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b209fd837ed844ef841f661cf60f7df8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:09:24Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-b209fd837ed844ef841f661cf60f7df82024-03-05T18:44:03ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-02-0114111510.1038/s41598-024-55192-5Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policyOluseye O. Oludoye0Nuta Supakata1Sarawut Srithongouthai2Vorapot Kanokkantapong3Stephan Van den Broucke4Lanrewaju Ogunyebi5Mark Lubell6School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside UniversityDepartment of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn UniversityDepartment of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn UniversityDepartment of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn UniversityPsychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de LouvainEnvironmental Biology Unit, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of LagosDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California DavisAbstract The study investigates residents’ behavior towards reducing the use of single-use plastic (SUP), specifically in the context of food packaging. The widespread view holds that pro-environmental behavior (PB) results from a person’s moral and rational deliberations. In reducing single-use plastic (SUP) consumption and waste, the relative roles of rationality and morality models in validating PB among rural and urban residents are not yet clear. In this empirical study, we compared the relative efficacy of two models for explaining people’s SUP reduction behavior: the theory of planned behavior (TPB; rationality) and the value belief norm (VBN; morality). We investigated Thailand’s rural (Sichang Island) and metropolitan (Nonthaburi city) areas. As a result, we surveyed people living on Sichang Island (n = 255) and in Nonthaburi city (n = 310). We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) for data analysis in this study. Findings showed that while morality better justified all the study participants’ SUP reduction behavior, rationality underpinned behaviors of rural residents, while morality better explained the actions of city residents. We discussed future theoretical development and a policy roadmap based on these findings.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55192-5 |
| spellingShingle | Oluseye O. Oludoye Nuta Supakata Sarawut Srithongouthai Vorapot Kanokkantapong Stephan Van den Broucke Lanrewaju Ogunyebi Mark Lubell Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy Scientific Reports |
| title | Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy |
| title_full | Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy |
| title_fullStr | Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy |
| title_short | Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy |
| title_sort | pro environmental behavior regarding single use plastics reduction in urban rural communities of thailand implication for public policy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55192-5 |
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