Mind the Gap: How Zhongyong Thinking Affects the Effectiveness of Media Use on Pro-Environmental Behaviours in China

ABSTRACT This study proposes a moderated serial mediation model to examine the paths and conditions by which authoritative media use and social media use promote public and private pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs). By employing the norm activation theory and through a nationwide survey in China, the study finds that both authoritative media use and social media use can indirectly contribute to both public and private PEBs first by increasing perceived environmental risk, and then by strengthening personal responsibility. In a parallel investigation of the role of traditional culture in influencing people’s behaviour, the study finds that Zhongyong thinking (the golden mean) can affect the effectiveness of authoritative media use and social media use on public and private PEBs. Zhongyong thinking notably enhanced the positive relationship between social media use and both types of PEBs but weakened the relationship between authoritative media use and these PEBs. The study contributes to the environmental engagement literature by confirming that different types of media use have different implications for PEBs, and Zhongyong thinking plays a vital role in the Chinese context.