Exploring the interaction effects of norms and attitudes on green travel intention: An empirical study in eastern China

Previous study has confirmed the critical determinants that influence green travel intention. However, these studies rarely discuss the interaction effects of norms and attitudes on green travel intention. In the current paper, this gap would be addressed by using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which (1) differentiated social norms into subjective injunctive norm and subjective descriptive norm, (2) differentiated attitudes into experiential attitude and instrumental attitude, and (3) incorporated personal moral norm. The model is empirically investigated by online questionnaire survey data collected from 419 respondents in eastern China. The findings reveal that the interaction terms of experiential attitude and norms are positively associated with green travel intention, whereas the interaction terms of instrumental attitude and norms are negatively related to green travel intention, which implies that two aspects of attitude play a critical role in motivating green travel intention. Furthermore, subjective descriptive norm can increase individual's green travel intention when they hold low environmental responsibility. Based on the results, implications for improving individual's green travel intention, limitations of the research and suggestions for further study are discussed.