ORIGINAL RESEARCH
How Can Internet Use and Environmental
Risk Perception Encourage Pro-Environmental
Behaviors? The Mediating Role of Government
Performance Perception
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1
School of International Affairs and Public Administration, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China
2
School of Political Science and Public Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
Submission date: 2022-04-24
Final revision date: 2022-06-25
Acceptance date: 2022-07-19
Online publication date: 2022-09-26
Publication date: 2022-12-08
Corresponding author
Qingduo Mao
School of International Affairs and Public Administration, Ocean University of China, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(6):5621-5631
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ABSTRACT
This paper explores the relationship between Internet use, environmental risk perception,
government performance perception, and pro-environmental behaviors. Survey data from the Chinese
General Social Survey 2013 was used to test relevant hypotheses. The results show that: (1) Internet
use has significant positive effects on environmental risk perception and pro-environmental behaviors.
(2) Internet use and environmental risk perception have significant negative effects on public perception
about the government’s environmental performance. (3) Government performance perception has
a significant positive effect on pro-environmental behaviors and negatively mediates the effect of
Internet use and environmental risk perception on pro-environmental behaviors. The findings suggest
that increasing the government’s environmental performance exposure can stimulate public engagement
in pro-environmental behaviors, thus facilitating the implementation of environmental policies requiring
citizen engagement.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.