Examining the Impact of Others' Behavior on Individual Waste Reduction Practices

<p>This research paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by examining the influence of others' behavior on individual waste reduction. Previous studies have explored various factors, such as individuals' attitudes towards environmental problems, environmental values, norms and so on, as determinants of waste reduction behavior. However, this study specifically focuses on investigating the impact of estimated value of others’ waste reduction behavior on individual waste reduction behavior. The data used for our analysis was collected through the "Environmental Awareness and Behavior: 2023 National Web Survey". Our findings reveal two important outcomes. Firstly, in terms of others' behavior, a majority of respondents estimated that approximately 50% of residents in their community engage in waste reduction. A smaller proportion of individuals estimated either low or high levels of cooperation among community members. Secondly, we examined the relationship between the estimated value of others' behavior and its impact on individual waste reduction. The analysis demonstrates that as the estimated value of others' cooperative behavior for waste reduction increases, more respondents tend to engage in waste reduction themselves. Importantly, we did not find any interaction effect between the estimated value and waste reduction based on the strength or weakness of a free-riding orientation.</p>