The role of peers in promoting energy conservation among Chinese university students

Abstract

Guiding individuals to adopt pro-environmental behaviors is critical to achieving carbon neutrality goals. Public policy targeted at a small number of people may be amplified by interpersonal interaction, making peer effect a potentially useful tool for accelerating problem solving. However, previous studies have paid insufficient attention to the influence of peers on university students’ energy-saving behaviors. This paper attempts to examine the effect using a large-scale survey dataset conducted on students from Xiamen University in China and the classical linear-in-means model. The result shows that peers’ pro-environmental behaviors have positive effect on individuals. The heterogeneity of the influence and the potential mechanisms are also explored. This paper contributes to very important and still growing literature dealing with contagion processes in pro-environmental behaviors. The policy implication is that the government should make full use of the peer effect to maximize the benefits of energy-conservation campaigns.