A rational-affective-moral factor model for determining tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour

ABSTRACT

Tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) has a positive social significance for the sustainable development of the destination environment. Based on the theory of planned behaviour, the norm activation model, and affect-behaviour theory, this study established the ‘rational-affective-moral’ (R-A-M) factor model of tourists’ PEB. It used questionnaires to investigate the main influencing factors and mechanisms of tourists’ PEB in a more comprehensive and in-depth manner, using a sample of 488 tourists from China. The results showed that (1) the structural equation model of R-A-M fitted well. Cognitive attitudes, perceived behaviour control, positive emotions, personal norms, and daily green behaviour habits directly impacted tourists’ PEB, among which affective factors had the largest effect. (2) The mediating effect test results revealed two completely mediating paths—social norms-cognitive attitudes-tourists’ PEB; and social norms-personal norms-tourists’ PEB—and two indirect mediation paths—perceived behaviour control-cognitive attitudes-tourists’ PEB; and daily green behaviour habits-personal norms-tourists’ PEB. (3) Positive emotions not only directly influenced tourists’ PEB but indirectly moderated the effects of perceived behaviour control, personal norms, and daily green behaviour habits on tourists’ PEB. Finally, the study discusses the theoretical innovation and potential application value of the R-A-M factor model.

KEYWORDS:

• Pro-environmental behaviour
• sustainable tourism
• theory of planned behaviour
• norm activation
• positive emotions
• daily green habits

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China: [Grant Number 41971227]; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities: [Grant Number 2022].