The influence of trekkers’ personal and subjective norms on their pro-environmental behaviors

Abstract

The call for pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) is increasing amid the growing negative impact of human activity on the environment. Most studies in this domain have focused on the environmental impact of specific human behaviors, overlooking how these behaviors evolve over time. The purpose of this study is to elucidate how trekkers maintain and practice environmentally friendly behaviors in daily life. To achieve this goal, this study examined the influence of subjective norms and personal norms on daily PEBs and adopted environmental awareness as a mediating variable. This study recruited trekkers in Taiwan (n = 528) as the research subjects and employed structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. The results showed that subjective norms, personal norms, and their interaction effects all indirectly influenced PEBs through environmental awareness. In particular, the influence of subjective norms was much greater than that of personal norms, indicating that people's behaviors are more significantly impacted by others' expectations than by their own personal beliefs. These findings not only highlighted the importance of subjective and personal norms in shaping PEBs but also revealed that the PEBs cultivated during trekking activities may extend to behaviors in daily life.

Management implications

This study offers practical implications for management teams and practitioners at trekking destinations: they should promote daily PEBs and effective communication with trekkers. Since 2020, the number of trekkers in Taiwan has surged by 57%, resulting in significant environmental degradation. This increase can largely be attributed to insufficient staffing, as the overwhelming number of trekkers places additional burdens and stress on existing personnel. Therefore, it is essential to implement measures to regulate the number of trekkers in sensitive areas. Furthermore, the government should enhance recruitment efforts for mountain rangers to ensure adequate oversight and support.

Trekking activities often take place in remote and sparsely populated mountainous areas, where the natural environment is relatively undisturbed. As a result, environmental management faces greater challenges in these regions. In this context, local governments should consider adopting nature-oriented recreation and tourism activation strategies through direct and indirect experiences. These could include formal and informal educational programs and services, mass media, internet resources, and interpretive programs. Such initiatives aim to enhance human understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of nature, thereby shaping personal norms and subjective norms while fostering environmental awareness.

In terms of durable outcomes, it is recommended that destination management agencies and environmental protection organizations invite trekkers to participate in destination environmental management and provide a platform for expression, organize public welfare activities (such as mountain garbage cleanup, and tree planting), and provide spiritual incentives and economic rewards, durable outcomes for travelers and continued PEB (Liu et al., 2024).