Table_5_Can adolescents' subjective wellbeing facilitate their pro-environmental consumption behaviors? Empirical study based on 15-year-old students.pdf

PurposeTo address the challenge of declining pro-environmental behaviors in adolescence, this paper uses the theoretical foundations for subjective wellbeing to verify the influence of three latent dimensions of subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions) on adolescents' pro-environmental consumption behaviors (PECBs). Furthermore, we explore the moderating effects of nations and regions in the relationship between subjective wellbeing and PECBs in adolescents.
MethodBased on the international data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 (PISA 2018), we construct a unique dataset that includes 57,182 samples related to the subjective wellbeing and PECBs of 15-year-old students from eight countries/economies. Specially, we employ an ordered probit model to test our hypotheses.
FindingsBoth adolescents' life satisfaction and positive emotions can significantly improve their PECBs, while there is a significant negative association between negative emotions and PECBs. At the nation's level, adolescents' life satisfaction and negative emotions in developed countries/economies significantly impact PECBs. In contrast, the positive emotions of adolescents in developing countries/economies have more substantial effects on PECBs. At the regional level, the impact of all three dimensions of adolescents' subjective wellbeing on PECBs is more significant in rural than urban areas.
Originality/valueThis paper provides a new perspective for understanding adolescents' PECBs from the insights of subjective wellbeing. Previous studies have examined the effects of life satisfaction or happiness on PECBs in adults. This paper examines the impact of subjective wellbeing on adolescents' PECBs from life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions, which suggests that promoting adolescents' subjective wellbeing can be an effective strategy for encouraging PECBs. From a comparative research perspective, we further analyze the differences between the nations at different levels of development, the rural and urban areas, providing a valuable reference for policymakers and practitioners in promoting pro-environmental behaviors among adolescents.

研究目的 为应对青少年亲环境行为日趋减少的挑战，本文以主观福祉（subjective wellbeing）理论为基础，验证了主观福祉的三个潜在维度——生活满意度、积极情绪与消极情绪——对青少年亲环境消费行为（pro-environmental consumption behaviors，PECBs）的影响。此外，本研究还探讨了国家与地区在青少年主观福祉与亲环境消费行为关系中的调节效应。
研究方法 本研究基于2018年国际学生评估项目（Programme for International Student Assessment 2018，PISA 2018）的国际公开数据，构建了涵盖8个国家/经济体的15岁学生主观福祉与亲环境消费行为相关数据的独有数据集，共计包含57182条有效样本。特别地，本文采用有序概率模型（ordered probit model）对研究假设进行实证检验。
研究结果 青少年的生活满意度与积极情绪均能显著提升其亲环境消费行为，而消极情绪与亲环境消费行为则呈显著负相关关系。在国家层面，发达国家/经济体青少年的生活满意度与消极情绪对亲环境消费行为具有显著影响；与之相对，发展中国家/经济体青少年的积极情绪对亲环境消费行为的影响更为显著。在地区层面，相较于城市地区，农村地区青少年主观福祉的三个维度对亲环境消费行为的影响均更为显著。
研究创新与价值 本研究从主观福祉视角为理解青少年亲环境消费行为提供了全新研究视角。既往相关研究多聚焦于生活满意度或幸福感对成年人群体亲环境消费行为的影响，本文则从生活满意度、积极情绪与消极情绪三个维度，系统探究了主观福祉对青少年亲环境消费行为的作用机制，这表明提升青少年主观福祉可作为鼓励其亲环境行为的有效策略。从比较研究视角出发，本研究进一步分析了不同发展水平国家以及城乡地区之间的影响差异，可为政策制定者与相关从业者推动青少年亲环境行为提供具有参考价值的实践依据。