Application of Norm-activation Model in the Formation of WTS

WTS, as the name implies, is a kind of personal sacrifice that will benefit other members in society, especially future generations. The model of self-interest theory supplies little explanation for this personal sacrificial willingness while the norm-activation theory proposed by Schwartz (1970, 1977) is assumed to be helpful in explaining the formation of WTS. Norm-activation theory was originally proposed to explain “helping behaviour”. This theory offers a normative explanation for helping behaviour based on the activation of internalized personal norms. The feelings of moral obligation are most likely to be activated when individuals are aware of the consequences (AC) of their behaviour towards the needy party, as well as when they ascribe responsibility (AR) to themselves for helping. Although developed mainly for the purpose of explaining altruistically-motivated helping behaviour, this model has gotten plenty of empirical support in an environmental context.

WTS represents the willingness that individuals hold to help the environment even at the

expense of personal interest. As one kind of altruistic motivation, WTS is supposed to derive from the moral judgment that they have the moral obligation to do so. Environmental anxiety and responsibility judgments are assumed to affect the formation of such moral judgment. Although somewhat different from the awareness of environmental consequence which is used in the norm-activation model, environmental anxiety is formed on the evaluation of environmental consequence and is taken as a measurement of AC in this paper. Governments, corporations and citizens are three entities that can reasonably be ascribed responsibility for environmental protection. People’s judgments on the obligations of the three entities are also supposed to influence people’s WTS commitments. Citizens who exert their influences on the environment in their different roles of consumers, voters and tax payers, are both the victims and villains of environmental deterioration. Whether they recognize their responsibilities in protecting the environment is supposed to affect the formation of their sacrificial willingness. Hereby, we get a somewhat revised norm-activation model that WTS is one kind of altruistic motivation, and that environmental anxiety (AC) and environmentally responsible judgments (AR) will affect the formation of WTS. The analysis results regarding the causal effects of AC and AR to WTS in surveyed areas are shown in Figure 6-1abc.

Figure 6-1a Causal effect of AC and AR to the formation of WTS in rural areas

In Figure 6-1a, axis 1 generally divides all options into two groups: government with corporations, very much and somewhat, and a positive WTS are located on the right side While citizen, slightly and not at all, and a negative WTS are located on the left side. From the distribution, a positive relation between WTS and AC is verified in rural areas. Furthermore in rural areas, people who ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to government and corporations are more likely to form a positive WTS than those who ascribe it to the citizens.

Positive money-sacrifice willingness Negative

money-sacrifice willingness

Positive life-sacrifice willingness Negative life-sacrifice

willingness

Positive tax-introduction willingness Negative

tax-introduction willingness

Very much Somewhat

Slightly Not at all

Government

Corporation

Citizen

-1.4 -1.2 -1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

-2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

Axis 2 ' Eignevalue _ 1.15 (23%)

Axis 1 : Eigenvalue = 1.581 (31.6%)

Money-sacrifice willingness Life comfort-sacrifice willingness Tax-introduction willingness Environmental Anxiety (AC) Environmental responsibility (AR)

Figure 6-1b Causal effect of AC and AR to the formation of WTS in Beijing

In Figure 6-1b, axis 1 generally divides all variables into two groups: citizens with corporations, very much with somewhat, and positive WTS are located on the left side, while governments, slightly and not at all, and negative WTS are located on the right side. From the distribution, a positive relation between WTS and AC is verified in Beijing. Furthermore in Beijing, people who ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to citizens are more likely to form positive WTS than those who ascribe it to the government.

Postive money sacrifice Negative money

sacrifice

Positive life-sacrifice willingness

Negative life-sacrifice willingness Positive

tax-introduction willingness

Negative tax-introduction willingness Very much

Somewhat

Slightly

Not at all Government Corporations

Citizens

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5

Axis 2 : Eigenvalue = 1.087 (21.7)

Axis 1 : Eigenvalue = 1.401 (28%)

Money-sacrifice willingness Life comfort-sacrifice willingness Tax-introduction willingness Environmental Anxiety (AC) Environmental responsibility (AR)

Figure 6-1c Causal effect of AC and AR to the formation of WTS in Hangzhou

In Figure 6-1c, axis 1 generally divides all variables into two groups: corporations with citizens, very much, and positive WTS are located on the right side, while governments, somewhat slightly and not at all, and negative WTS are located on the left side. However, it is noted that the option of “very much” is somewhat far from the positive WTS, while the option of “somewhat” is more closed to the positive responses. From the distribution, a positive relation between WTS and AC is generally verified in Hangzhou. Furthermore in Hangzhou, people who ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to corporations are more likely to form positive WTS than those who ascribe it to the government.

From the above analysis, the causal effects of AC and AR to the formation of WTS were clarified. In all four surveyed regions, a positive relation between AC and WTS was generally verified. The more people are worried about environmental deterioration, the more they are

Positive money-sacrifice willingness Negative

money-sacrifice willingness

Positive life-sacrifice willingness Negative life-sacrifice

willingness Positive

tax-introduction willingness

Negative tax-introduction willingness

Very much

Somewhat

Slightly Not at all

Government

Corporations Citizens

-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5

-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5

Axis 2 : Eigenvalue = 1.187 (23.7%)

Axis 1 : Eigenvalue = 1.604 (32.1%)

Money-sacrifice willingness Life comfort-sacrifice willingness Tax-introduction willingness Environmental Anxiety (AC) Environmental responsibility (AR)

inclined to form a positive WTS. However, the effect of AR to the formation of WTS differs from area to area. People who ascribed the most important responsibility to governments and corporations are more inclined to form positive WTS in rural areas, while the government-dependent attitude are more likely to link to negative WTS in both cities. In Beijing people who ascribed the most important responsibility to citizens and corporations, especially to citizens, and in Hangzhou people who ascribed the most important responsibility to corporations and citizens, especially to corporations are more likely to form positive WTS.