Environmental behaviour and choice of sustainable travel mode in urban areas: comparative evidence from commuters in Asian cities

Abstract

Promoting pro-environmental travel modes is an important strategy for sustainable transportation. Previous studies have shown a positive relationship between environmental awareness and environmental-friendly travel modes, but very few studies have considered pro-environmental behaviour and choice of travel mode, particularly in the context of non-Western countries. This study examines the impact of pro-environmental behaviour on the choice of commuting mode in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore using original survey data. We use the Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause model to construct latent variables of environmentally friendly behaviours. The multinomial logistic regression results indicate that (1) pro-environmental activities and commuting mode choice are unrelated in Tokyo and Singapore, (2) recycling and energy-savings activities are positively related to commuting by bicycle/on foot in Beijing, and (3) participants in organised pro-environmental activities are less likely to use pro-environmental commuting modes in Beijing and Shanghai. The results provide supporting evidence of the habit discontinuity hypothesis and suggest a possible substitution effect between environmentally friendly travel mode choice and other environmental activities.

Keywords:

• Sustainable transportation
• environmental behaviour
• travel demand
• commuting
• Asian cities

Notes

Notes

Notes

1 Research in the field of environmental psychology and behaviour provides theories that relate environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviour (Bamberg, Hunecke, and Blöbaum 2007). The norm-activation model (Klöckner and Matthies 2004; Nordlund and Garvill 2002; Schwartz 1977) and the value-belief-norm theory (Collins and Chambers 2005; Lind et al. 2015; Stern 2000) assume that pro-environmental behaviour has pro-social and normative motives. In contrast, the theory of planned behaviour argues that self-interest determines behaviour (Ajzen, 1991; Bamberg, Hunecke, and Blöbaum 2007; Donald et al. 2014). Recent studies have used frameworks that combine the abovementioned theories (Klöckner and Blöbaum 2010; Schneider 2013; Van Acker, Van Wee, and Witlox 2010). This leaves to future study that psychological factors play important role and context applies to what extent (Khanal et al. 2018).

2 For more detailed information about our survey, see Chapman, Fujii, and Managi (2019).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the following Grant in Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan (MEXT): Grant in Aid for Specially Promoted Research [26000001] and Grant in Aid for Scientific Research (B) [26285057]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the MEXT.

Notes on contributors

Junya Kumagai

Junya Kumagai is a Ph.D. student of Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering at Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. He is a fellow of The 14th Young Leaders Programme organised by Northeast Asia Economic Forum and University of Hawaii. His research is focussed on urban and transportation policy.

Shunsuke Managi

Shunsuke Managi is the Distinguished Professor & Director of Urban Institute at the Kyushu University. He is a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a director for Inclusive Wealth Report 2018 (IWR 2018), an editor of ‘Economics of Disasters and Climate Change’, ‘Environmental Economics and Policy Studies’, and ‘Resource and Energy Economics’, and is editor of ‘The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Economics in Asia’. He is the co-chair the Scientific Committee of the 2018 World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists.