Reexamining the Theory of Planned Behavior in Understanding Wastepaper Recycling

Abstract

Using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TOPB), this study examined wastepaper-recycling behavior among college students in Hong Kong. Two hundred and eighty-two college students completed a questionnaire designed to measure various constructs related to recycling behavior. The results reveal that TOPB significantly predicted both behavioral intention and subsequent wastepaper-recycling behavior self-reported a month later. Perceived difficulty predicted behavioral intention and moderated the intention-behavior link, whereas perceived control had no significant effect. These findings cast doubt on the unidimensional conceptualization of perceived behavioral control. By controlling for the TOPB constructs, general environmental knowledge significantly predicted behavior. Past behavior had a sizeable effect on predicting subsequent behavior, suggesting that TOPB plus knowledge are insufficient to predict recycling. Future studies should investigate the difficulty-control distinction and the differential effects of general versus specific knowledge on predicting wastepaper recycling.