Place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior: The mediating role of destination psychological ownership

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the relationship between place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior, and to verify the mediating role of destination psychological ownership in the above relationship. We surveyed scuba divers in Taiwan as the research subjects and obtained 361 valid questionnaires. After conducting a literature review and examining related theories, we proposed a theoretical model and used the structural equation model for analysis. The results showed that the overall model fitted well, place dependence directly affected place identity, and place dependence and place identity both positively and directly influenced environmentally responsible behavior. Furthermore, the testing showed that destination psychological ownership could play a mediating role on the relationship between place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior.