Research Articles Open access Double-blind peer reviewed

Does Environmental Knowledge Matter? Social Influence and Pro-Environmental Behavior in University Students: An Indirect Effect Model

Authors

  • Gabriel SimiyuORCID iD verified by the author (show author details)

    Gabriel Simiyu

    School of Business and Management Science, University of Eldoret, Kenya, Kenya

    0000-0002-4956-1840

    Corresponding author

    • Valentine Kariuki (show author details)

      Valentine Kariuki

      School of Business and Management Science, University of Eldoret, Kenya, Kenya

      • Mwengei Ombaba (show author details)

        Mwengei Ombaba

        School of Business and Management Science, University of Eldoret, Kenya, Kenya

        • Robert Otuya (show author details)

          Robert Otuya

          School of Business and Management Science, University of Eldoret, Kenya, Kenya

          Cite

          How to Cite

          Simiyu, G., Kariuki, V., Ombaba, M., & Otuya, R. (2022). Does Environmental Knowledge Matter? Social Influence and Pro-Environmental Behavior in University Students: An Indirect Effect Model. SEISENSE Journal of Management, 5(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.33215/sjom.v5i1.724

          More Citation Formats

          Download Citation

          Share

          Share

          • 3,521views
          • 2,078downloads

          Abstract

          Purpose- This study aims to provide an analytical framework that focuses on environmental knowledge as a mechanism through which social influence enhances pro-environmental behavior among university students.

          Design/Methodology- The research employed quantitative strategy, cross-sectional survey design, and systematic random sampling techniques to obtain data from a sample of 335 university students using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The study hypotheses were tested using Hayes Process Macro vs. 3.5 (Model 4).

          Findings- Results indicate that social influence strongly impacts students’ environmental knowledge, and both variables significantly predict pro-environmental behavior. Environmental knowledge was discovered to be the strongest predictor of pro-environmental behavior among students. Finally, results show that environmental knowledge mediates the relationship between social influence and pro-environmental behavior, revealing a complimentary mediation model superior to the direct effect model.

          Originality- These findings reveal that social influence and students’ environmental knowledge have a strong influence in cultivating students’ pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, the complementary mediation model, which shows superior results than the direct effect model, contributes to the body of knowledge and offers new insights into theory and practice.

          Practical Implications- Environmental sustainability may be positioned as a social trend by government and business agencies, such as a promotional campaign, workshops, and training to demonstrate and raise awareness about environmental issues.

          Keywords

          Categories

          License

          Copyright (c) 2022 Gabriel Simiyu, Valentine Kariuki, Mwengei Ombaba, Robert Otuya

          Creative Commons License

          This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

          Published in

          Vol. 5 No. 1 (2022): SEISENSE Journal of Management View Issue

          Reads, last 12 months

          2025-122026-11

          Article history

          1. ReceivedSeptember 14, 2021
          2. AcceptedDecember 22, 2021
          3. Published January 1, 2022

          References

          Abrahamse, W., & Steg, L. (2013). Social influence approaches to encourage resource conservation: A meta-analysis. Global environmental change, 23(6), 1773-1785. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Afsar, B., Maqsoom, A., Shahjehan, A., Afridi, S. A., Nawaz, A., & Fazliani, H. (2020). Responsible leadership and employee's proenvironmental behavior: The role of organizational commitment, green shared vision, and internal environmental locus of control. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(1), 297-312. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Ahmad, S., Islam, T., Sadiq, M., & Kaleem, A. (2021). Promoting green behavior through ethical leadership: a model of green human resource management and environmental knowledge. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 42(4), 531-547. doi: 10.1108/lodj-01-2020-0024 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Alhosseini Almodarresi, S. M., Tabataba'i-Nasab, S. M., Bagheri Garabollagh, H., & Mohammadi, F. (2019). Does citizenship behavior have a role in changing attitude toward green products? International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management, 14(4), 284-292. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Aman, A. L., Harun, A., & Hussein, Z. (2012). The influence of environmental knowledge and concern on green purchase intention the role of attitude as a mediating variable. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 7(2), 145-167.

          Amoah, A., & Addoah, T. (2021). Does environmental knowledge drive pro-environmental behaviour in developing countries? Evidence from households in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(2), 2719-2738. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Asih, D., Setini, M., Soelton, M., Muna, N., Putra, I., Darma, D., & Judiarni, J. (2020). Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action. Management Science Letters, 10(14), 3367-3374. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Blose, J. E., Mack, R. W., Pitts, R. E., & Xie, H. Y. (2020). Exploring young US and Chinese consumers’ motivations to recycle. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 32(1), 33-46.

          Boeve-de Pauw, J., Van Hoof, J., & Van Petegem, P. (2019). Effective field trips in nature: the interplay between novelty and learning. Journal of Biological Education, 53(1), 21-33. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Chekima, B., Chekima, S., Syed Khalid Wafa, S. A. W., Igau, O. A., & Sondoh Jr, S. L. (2016). Sustainable consumption: the effects of knowledge, cultural values, environmental advertising, and demographics. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 23(2), 210-220. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Chekima, B., Wafa, S. A. W. S. K., Igau, O. A., Chekima, S., & Sondoh Jr, S. L. (2016). Examining green consumerism motivational drivers: does premium price and demographics matter to green purchasing? Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 3436-3450. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Chen, Y.-S., Tien, W.-P., Lee, Y.-I., & Tsai, M.-L. (2016). Greenwash and green brand equity. Paper presented at the 2016 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET). CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Chuang, F., Manley, E., & Petersen, A. (2020). The role of worldviews in the governance of sustainable mobility. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(8), 4034-4042. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Chuchu, T., Maziriri, E. T., & Mototo, L. (2020). A Review of the Impact of Consumerism, Recycling and Pollution: Evidence from Southeast Asia: 1999 to 2019. Journal of Environmental Management & Tourism, 11(1 (41)), 23-28. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Clark, R. A., Haytko, D. L., Hermans, C. M., & Simmers, C. S. (2019). Social influence on green consumerism: country and gender comparisons between China and the United States. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 31(3), 177-190. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Cui, L., Wang, Y., Chen, W., Wen, W., & Han, M. S. (2021). Predicting determinants of consumers' purchase motivation for electric vehicles: An application of Maslow's hierarchy of needs model. Energy Policy, 151, 112167. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112167 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Di Martino, J., Nanere, M. G., & DSouza, C. (2019). The effect of pro-environmental attitudes and eco-labelling information on green purchasing decisions in Australia. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 31(2), 201-225. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Donmez-Turan, A., & Kiliclar, I. E. (2021). The analysis of pro-environmental behaviour based on ecological worldviews, environmental training/knowledge and goal frames. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123518. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Dresner, M., Handelman, C., Braun, S., & Rollwagen-Bollens, G. (2015). Environmental identity, pro-environmental behaviors, and civic engagement of volunteer stewards in Portland area parks. Environmental Education Research, 21(7), 991-1010. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Esfandiar, K., Dowling, R., Pearce, J., & Goh, E. (2020). Personal norms and the adoption of pro-environmental binning behaviour in national parks: An integrated structural model approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(1), 10-32. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Farrow, K., Grolleau, G., & Ibanez, L. (2017). Social norms and pro-environmental behavior: A review of the evidence. Ecological Economics, 140, 1-13. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Fawehinmi, O., Yusliza, M. Y., Mohamad, Z., Faezah, J. N., & Muhammad, Z. (2020). Assessing the green behaviour of academics: The role of green human resource management and environmental knowledge. International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 879-900. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Geng, D., Liu, J., & Zhu, Q. (2017). Motivating sustainable consumption among Chinese adolescents: An empirical examination. Journal of Cleaner Production, 141, 315-322. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Ghazali, E. M., Nguyen, B., Mutum, D. S., & Yap, S.-F. (2019). Pro-environmental behaviours and Value-Belief-Norm theory: Assessing unobserved heterogeneity of two ethnic groups. Sustainability, 11(12), 3237. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Goyal, M., & Goyal, R. K. (2021). Confirming Antecedents of Green Consumption Intention: A Sustainable Model for Food Aggregators. IETE Journal of Research, 67(5), 634-645. doi: 10.1080/03772063.2021.1906336 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Han, R., & Xu, J. (2020). A Comparative study of the role of interpersonal communication, traditional media and social media in pro-environmental behavior: A China-based study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(6), 1883. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Hansmann, R., Laurenti, R., Mehdi, T., & Binder, C. R. (2020). Determinants of pro-environmental behavior: A comparison of university students and staff from diverse faculties at a Swiss University. Journal of Cleaner Production, 268, 121864. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121864 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis second edition: A regression-based approach.: New York, NY: Guilford Publications, Inc.

          Heo, J., & Muralidharan, S. (2019). What triggers young Millennials to purchase eco-friendly products?: the interrelationships among knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental concern. Journal of Marketing Communications, 25(4), 421-437.

          Jung, N., Kim, Y., & De Zúniga, H. G. (2011). The mediating role of knowledge and efficacy in the effects of communication on political participation. Mass Communication and Society, 14(4), 407-430. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Khalique, M., Iftikhar, S., bin Yaacob, M. R., & Tahir, A. (2020). Antecedents and Mediating Role of Green Buying Behavior. Market Forces, 15(2), 22-22. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Khare, A. (2019). Green Apparel Buying: Role of Past Behavior, Knowledge and Peer Influence in the Assessment of Green Apparel Perceived Benefits. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 1-17. doi: 10.1080/08961530.2019.1635553 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Kim, M.-S., & Stepchenkova, S. (2020). Altruistic values and environmental knowledge as triggers of pro-environmental behavior among tourists. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(13), 1575-1580. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Kim, Y. D., Nam, C., & LaPlaca, A. M. (2021). Marketing and communicating sustainability through college athletics: the effects of pro-environmental initiatives on the belief-attitude-intention hierarchy. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 1-21. doi: 10.1080/08841241.2021.1892897 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Lee, S. (2011). Consumers’ value, environmental consciousness, and willingness to pay more toward green-apparel products. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 2(3), 161-169. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Leonidou, C. N., & Skarmeas, D. (2017). Gray shades of green: Causes and consequences of green skepticism. Journal of business ethics, 144(2), 401-415.

          Li, Q., & Wu, M. (2020). Tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour in travel destinations: Benchmarking the power of social interaction and individual attitude. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(9), 1371-1389. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Li, W., Lee, P. K., Chan, J. C., & Tan, H. (2020). Cultivating environmentally responsible citizens in a local university in Hong Kong-evaluating the cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 29(4), 301-315. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Liao, C., & Li, H. (2019). Environmental Education, Knowledge, and High School Students’ Intention toward Separation of Solid Waste on Campus. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(9), 1659; doi: 10.3390/ijerph16091659 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Liobikienė, G., & Poškus, M. S. (2019). The Importance of Environmental Knowledge for Private and Public Sphere Pro-Environmental Behavior: Modifying the Value-Belief-Norm Theory. Sustainability, 11(12), 3324. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          MacKinnon, D. (2012). Introduction to statistical mediation analysis: Routledge. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Matthies, E., Selge, S., & Klöckner, C. A. (2012). The role of parental behaviour for the development of behaviour specific environmental norms–The example of recycling and re-use behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(3), 277-284. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Megeirhi, H. A., Woosnam, K. M., Ribeiro, M. A., Ramkissoon, H., & Denley, T. J. (2020). Employing a value-belief-norm framework to gauge Carthage residents’ intentions to support sustainable cultural heritage tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(9), 1351-1370. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Mostafa, M. M. (2006). Antecedents of Egyptian consumers' green purchase intentions: A hierarchical multivariate regression model. Journal of international consumer marketing, 19(2), 97-126. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Mostafa, M. M. (2007). Gender differences in Egyptian consumers’ green purchase behaviour: the effects of environmental knowledge, concern and attitude. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31(3), 220-229. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Nordfjærn, T., & Rundmo, T. (2019). Acceptance of disincentives to driving and pro-environmental transport intentions: the role of value structure, environmental beliefs and norm activation. Transportation, 46(6), 2381-2396. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Ode, E., & Ayavoo, R. (2020). The mediating role of knowledge application in the relationship between knowledge management practices and firm innovation. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 5(3), 210-218. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Oğuz, D., & Kavas, S. (2010). Environmental awareness of university students in Ankara, Turkey. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 5(19), 2629-2636.

          Otto, S., & Pensini, P. (2017). Nature-based environmental education of children: Environmental knowledge and connectedness to nature, together, are related to ecological behaviour. Global Environmental Change, 47, 88-94. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Patel, J., Modi, A., & Paul, J. (2017). Pro-environmental behavior and socio-demographic factors in an emerging market. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 6(2), 189-214. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Pronello, C., & Gaborieau, J.-B. (2018). Engaging in pro-environment travel behaviour research from a psycho-social perspective: A review of behavioural variables and theories. Sustainability, 10(7), 2412. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Rehman, Z.-u., & Dost, M. B. (2013). Conceptualizing green purchase intention in emerging markets: An empirical analysis on Pakistan. Paper presented at the The 2013 WEI International Academic Conference Proceedings.

          Robertson, J. L., & Barling, J. (2017). Toward a new measure of organizational environmental citizenship behavior. Journal of Business Research, 75, 57-66. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Saeed, M. A., Farooq, A., Kersten, W., & Abdelaziz, S. I. B. (2019). Sustainable product purchase: does information about product sustainability on social media affect purchase behavior? Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, 4(1), 1-18. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Shin, Y. H., Im, J., Jung, S. E., & Severt, K. (2017). Consumers’ willingness to patronize locally sourced restaurants: The impact of environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and ecological behavior. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 26(6), 644-658. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Shukla, S. (2019). A Study on Millennial Purchase Intention of Green Products in India: Applying Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 20(4), 322-350. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Sousa, S., Correia, E., Leite, J., & Viseu, C. (2021). Environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior of higher education students: a case study in Portugal. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 30(4), 348-365. doi: 10.1080/10382046.2020.1838122 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Thormann, T. F., & Wicker, P. (2021). Determinants of pro-environmental behavior among voluntary sport club members. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research, 51(1), 29-38. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Tian, H., Zhang, J., & Li, J. (2020). The relationship between pro-environmental attitude and employee green behavior: the role of motivational states and green work climate perceptions. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(7), 7341-7352. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Vicente-Molina, M., Fernández-Sainz, A., & Izagirre-Olaizola, J. (2018). Does gender make a difference in pro-environmental behavior? The case of the Basque Country University students. Journal of Cleaner Production, 176, 89-98. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Vicente-Molina, M. A., Fernández-Sáinz, A., & Izagirre-Olaizola, J. (2013). Environmental knowledge and other variables affecting pro-environmental behaviour: comparison of university students from emerging and advanced countries. Journal of Cleaner Production, 61, 130-138. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Wan, C., Shen, G. Q., & Choi, S. (2017). Experiential and instrumental attitudes: Interaction effect of attitude and subjective norm on recycling intention. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 50, 69-79. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Wensing, J., Carraresi, L., & Bröring, S. (2019). Do pro-environmental values, beliefs and norms drive farmers' interest in novel practices fostering the Bioeconomy? Journal of environmental management, 232, 858-867. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Wong, I. A., Wan, Y. K. P., Huang, G. I., & Qi, S. (2021). Green event directed pro-environmental behavior: an application of goal systems theory. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(11-12), 1948-1969. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1770770 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Zarei, A., & Maleki, F. (2018). From decision to run: the moderating role of green skepticism. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 24(1), 96-116. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Zhao, X., Lynch Jr, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of consumer research, 37(2), 197-206. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Zheng, W., Yang, B., & McLean, G. N. (2010). Linking organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of knowledge management. Journal of Business research, 63(7), 763-771. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

          Similar articles

          Chosen by the keywords and the section they share with this article.

          Most read articles by the same author(s)