Motivations Influencing Alipay Users to Participate in the Ant Forest Campaign: An Empirical Study

Abstract

As one of the largest payment platforms in China, Alipay, launched a green behavior project called Ant Forest. The purpose of taking this initiative by Alipay is to make the world greener. This mobile application has motivated many users to plant millions of trees. However, minimal studies have been conducted to empirically disclose the factors that motivate Alipay users to participate in Ant Forest. A mixed-method approach is used to examine the factors influencing Alipay users to participate in Ant Forest and the level of satisfaction they got from it. The qualitative method was carried out through a structured questionnaire from 400 Alipay users and qualitative data from 20 users who have applied to Ant Forest and successfully planted trees. Additionally, alongside the mixed method employed to rationalize the relationship highlighted, a multiple regression model was employed to predict the value of a dependent variable (level of satisfaction) based on the value of several independent variables (namely, number of years engaged with Ant Forest activities, age, gender, profession, and education). The empirical results show that intrinsic motivations (enjoyment, social interaction, fulfilment, altruism) and extrinsic motivations (external rewards, competition) influence Alipay users to participate in the Ant Forest project. Further insights are presented in the concluding section for all stakeholders for environmental sustainability among the users of Alipay.