自我效能在台灣民眾環境關切與環境行為中扮演的角色

Abstract

研究背景與目的：人類的不當行為造成當前的環境惡化與生態破壞。從1970年代起就有學者提出「環境行為」的概念，以探討造成環境問題的行為決定因素，更進一步強調環境行為的執行應由人類生活的各種層面做起。本研究目的是想瞭解台灣民眾環境關切與環境行為之間的關係，並探討自我效能在環境關切與環境行為中扮演的角色。 方法：本研究使用2010年「台灣社會變遷調查」資料。以雙變項分析來檢視社會人口學變項、環境關切分別與環境行為、自我效能等變項兩兩間的關係。接著使用波以松線性迴歸及羅吉斯迴歸，分別探討資源節用行為和資源回收行為兩面向的環境行為。最後，分析自我效能在環境關切與環境行為間的中介角色。 結果：主要結果如下：(1)女性、45~64歲、居住於北部地區、大學及以上、台灣客家人有較高頻率的環境行為。(2)環境關切中的「自然環境的重要性」及「個人願意為環境付出的代價」兩因素皆與資源節用行為及資源回收行為達統計上顯著相關。(3)自我效能並非環境關切與環境行為間的中介變項。 結論：環境關切的確會預測環境行為的產生，但不需透過自我效能。可能是本研究所探討的環境行為對一般民眾來說較容易執行；也可能因為本研究只用一個題項來測量自我效能，內容效度較低；或者自我效能的測量題項與其他在本研究未測量的變項有關。「自然環境的重要性」、「個人願意為環境付出的代價」這兩個重要的因子，皆說明了應積極培養一般民眾對環境的正向態度，以做為環境保護政策的基礎。

Purpose: Current environmental deterioration and ecological devastation are widely attributed to the misconduct of human beings. Researchers have proposed the concept of “environmental behavior” since 1970s to study behavioral determinants of environmental problems and have further emphasized the implementation of environmental practices in various aspects of daily life. This study aims to examine the relationship between environmental concerns and environmental behaviors, and the role self-efficacy may play to affect their relationship. Methods: The Data on which this study was based came from “2010 Taiwan Social Change Survey.” Bivariate analyses were carried out to examine the associations among sociodemographic characteristics, environmental concerns, self-efficacy and environmental behaviors. Multiple Poisson linear regression and logistic regression were then used to analyze two domains of environmental behavior: resource-saving and resource-recycling, respectively. Finally, the analysis was proceeded to confirm the mediator role of self-efficacy, between environmental concerns and environmental behaviors. Results: The main findings were:(1) Participants with the following characteristics were more likely to engage in environmental behaviors: female, 45~64 year-old, living in the northern part of Taiwan, achieving the highest educational level (university and above) and belonging to Hakka ethnic group, (2) The two dimensions of environmental concerns: “valuing natural environment” and “willingness to pay for environmental conservation” were both significant predictors of “resource-saving” as well as “resource-recycling” behaviors, and (3) Self-efficacy was not the mediator between environmental concerns and environmental behaviors. Conclusions: Environmental concern could predict environmental behaviors but without being mediated by self-efficacy. It is possible that the environmental behaviors examined in this study are relatively easy for people to carry out that self-efficacy is no long an issue. It may be also due to the insufficient content validity resulted from the single-item measurement or the item included was related to other variables which were not measured in this study. The significant predictive power of “environmental values” and “willingness to pay” suggest the vital importance in cultivating pro-environmental values among the general public as the fundamental strategy in environmental protection policy.