Psychological Determinants of Waste Reduction Behavior

• Published in: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 87 - 94
• Main Authors: MAEDA, Hiroe, HIROSE, Yukio, KAWAI, Tomoya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: SOCIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, JAPAN 2012
• Subjects: behavioral intention; belief in the effectiveness; benefit evaluation; personal norm; Two-phase model of environmentally-conscious behavior
• ISSN: 0915-0048; 1884-5029
• DOI: 10.11353/sesj.25.87

We investigated the psychological determinants of waste reduction behaviors by using the two-phase model of environmentally conscious behavior (Hirose, 1994). In early 2010, we administered an online survey to 1,000 residents each from Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, whom we selected by the quota sampling method. Among seven kinds of waste reduction behaviors, we selected the following three: buying refills to reuse containers, with high behavioral frequency; carrying one′s own bags so as to consume fewer plastic bags, with middle frequency; and buying foods without foam cartons, with low frequency. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify the determinants of each behavior, we found that: (a) personal norm and benefit evaluation were the main determinants of the intention of each behavior; (b) subjective norm and cost evaluation, which were main determinants of many environmental behaviors (e.g., recycling), had little effect on behavioral intention; and (c) the main determinant of personal norm was belief in the effectiveness of each behavior on reducing waste and preventing global warming. Meanwhile, the strength of effects of perceived behavioral control on behavioral intention differed among behaviors. The present research suggests the need for employing different approaches to promote individual waste reduction behaviors.