Perceived social green preference: the motivation mechanism of inducing green behaviour

Green behaviour is important for the sustainable development of human beings. The mechanisms of the display and maintenance of this behaviour are, however, vastly unknown. Green behaviour is a complex decision related not only to personal green values but also to the green preference of others in interpersonal interaction. Based on two simulated behaviour experiments, this paper examines the motivation mechanism of social green preferences affecting the "green items" of recipients to manipulate the social green preference level of the game operator. The results found that the subjects who accepted the high social green preference obtained more green motivation and were willing to choose more green behaviours in the subsequent printing tasks; among these subjects, the green internal motivation and the green external motivation both perceive the social green preference and part of the mediating effect between green behaviours. Experiment 2 is based on Experiment 1, manipulating the social status of the social green preference transmitter perceived by the subjects and then revealing the internal mechanism of the social status of the green preference transmitter in the process of perceiving the social green preference and enhancing the green motivation. The results found that in addition to confirming the conclusion of Experiment 1, the social status of the green preference transmitter positively regulates the relationship between the social green preference and green motivation; that is, compared with the low social status of the green preference transmitter, the high social status green proponents will motivate the subjects to have more green motivation. Finally, green management enlightenment is proposed based on the conclusion.