Based on data from the 2013 China General Social Survey (CGSS2013), this study compares the public’s participation in environmental protection behaviors in the public and private spheres in China and the differences between urban and rural areas to investigate the differences in the influence of relevant factors on environmental protection behaviors in different spheres. This study found that 1) Chinese public participation in environmental protection is mainly in the private sphere, especially female’s participation in the private sphere is significantly higher than men’s; 2) compared to urban residents, rural residents are less involved in environmental protection in the private and public spheres; 3) Chinese public recognition of the environmental management work of the Chinese central and local governments is low; 4) individuals’ economic income, environmental knowledge, environmental risk perception, evaluation of the effectiveness of local governments’ environmental protection efforts, and frequency of media use all significantly and positively affect the Chinese public’s participation in environmental protection behaviors, but subjective social class does not affect the Chinese public’s participation in environmental protection behaviors. In order to improve the effectiveness of environmental protection work in China, it is recommended that the government, media, and citizen groups should open up feedback channels on environmental issues, strengthen the dissemination of environmental knowledge, and enhance the public’s awareness of environmental protection.