Exploring the effects of normative factors and perceived behavioral control on individual's energy-saving intention: An empirical study in eastern China

Previous researches have explored the critical determinants that influence individual's energy-saving intention. However, these researches rarely focus on individual's energy-saving intention in developing countries and limited research has been conducted to explore the combined effects of normative factors and perceived behavioral control. In this study, an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model is employed to narrow this gap. The model is empirically tested using questionnaire survey data collected from 450 respondents in eastern China. The findings reveal that perceived behavioral control is the most decisive factor for individual's energy-saving intention. Meanwhile, attitude towards energy-saving and personal moral norm are also important factors. Two interaction terms (i.e., perceived behavioral control and subjective injunctive norm, and perceived behavioral control and subjective descriptive norm) are negatively associated with energy-saving intention, which implies that social norm plays an important role in motivating energy-saving behavior in the Chinese context. Furthermore, social norm increases the energy-saving intention of individuals who exhibit low perceived behavioral control. Based on the results, implications for improving individual's energy-saving intention, limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are discussed.