Influencing factors of rural residents’ household waste classification habits: evidence from Jiangxi Province, China

Abstract

Abstract Guiding rural residents to develop the habit of sorting household waste is an effective way to address resource waste and environmental pollution. However, in existing research, scholars generally focus on the influencing factors of household garbage classification behavior, lacking research on unconscious habits. Therefore, based on the survey data of China’s first national ecological civilization pilot zone in Jiangxi, this study used a multiple regression model to comprehensively investigate the factors affecting the sorting habits of rural residents from the aspects of individual and situational factors. Results showed that factors such as communication diffusion policy, garbage sorting facilities, economic incentives, garbage sorting behavior frequency, new media use, environmental emotion, and environmental cognition exert a significant positive influence on guiding rural residents toward adopting garbage sorting habits. In addition, heterogeneity analysis underscores notable variations in influencing factors across different age groups and education levels among rural residents. The findings contribute to the expansion of the current knowledge landscape pertaining to residents’ behavior habits. Importantly, this study provides new ideas methodologies for effectively guiding rural residents in cultivating the habit of household garbage classification.