What affects residents' participation in the circular economy for sustainable development? Evidence from China

To realize sustainable development, China has vowed to build the circular economy for many years, but the level of development of this economy differs significantly in various regions of China. This study aims to examine the factors influencing residents' willingness to participate in the circular economy in Western China. We collected 791 online questionnaires from residents living in western Sichuan Province and Chongqing City. Based on the survey data, the Theory of Planned Behavior is adapted to construct a structural equation model. The empirical results indicate that four variables (i.e., Subjective Norm, Willingness to Sacrifice for the Environment, Perceived Economic Benefit, and Positive Anticipated Emotion) have significant effects on residents' willingness to participate in the circular economy. In addition, there is also evidence for Green Purchase Intention as a mediator for the relationship of Willingness to participate in circular economy with Subjective Norm, Willingness to Sacrifice for the Environment and Perceived Economic Benefit, and evidence for Perceived Behavior Control as a moderator of the relationship between Willingness to participate in circular economy and Positive Anticipated Emotion.