Influencing factors and mechanism of tourists' pro-environmental behavior - Empirical analysis of the CAC-MOA integration model

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology Vol. 13; p. 1060404
• Main Authors: Tang, Haiyan, Ma, Yong, Ren, Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 28.11.2022
• Subjects: environmental commitment; environmental self-identity; Psychology; the cognitive-affective-conative theory; the motivation-opportunity-ability theory; tourists’ pro-environmental behavior; the cognitive-affective-conative theory; the motivation-opportunity-ability theory; environmental self-identity; tourists’ pro-environmental behavior; environmental commitment
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1060404

Tourism has been perceived as an environmentally friendly industry for a long term, but the negative impact of tourist irresponsible behavior on the environment cannot be ignored. Tourists' pro-environmental behavior is crucial to the destination's sustainable development. Taking stimulus-organism-response theory as a framework, this study explores the factors and mechanisms influencing tourists' pro-environmental behaviors by integrating cognitive-affective-conative (CAC) theory and motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) theory. Through the PLS-SEM analysis with 548 questionnaires, the driving mechanism of tourists' pro-environmental behavior was deeply explored. The results indicate that tourists' environmental knowledge, participation motivation, and opportunity have significant positive effects on pro-environmental behavior, but the role of participation ability on tourists' pro-environmental behavior is not confirmed. Tourists have significant environmental self-identity and environmental commitment, and these affections actively promote tourists' pro-environmental behavior. Except for the participation ability, the other three factors, respectively, influence tourists' environmental behavior through the mediating effects of environmental self-identity and environmental commitment. Given the limited literature integrating CAC and MOA theories within research on tourists' pro-environmental behavior, these findings provide new perspectives for future research. This research enriches the literature on the factors influencing tourist pro-environmental behavior and also provides practical guidance for promoting tourists' pro-environmental behavior.