Pilot Study Analysis for Energy Conservation Behaviour Using Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory in Malaysian Universities Perspective

Climate change and global warming, primarily driven by CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel consumption, cause critical global issues requiring urgent attention. Energy conservation is essential for reducing energy use and promoting energy conservation behavior to address this issue. This research aims to determine the factors associated with influencing energy conservation behavior focusing on academic staff from Malaysian public universities. The study utilized the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory to predict pro-environmental behavior (PEB) focusing on energy conservation behavior. A questionnaire study was conducted among 100 respondents, aged 21 to 60 years old. The data analysis using SPSS shows that the skewness values for all variables fall within the range of -1 to +1, suggesting statistical significance and alignment with a normal distribution. Furthermore, the Cronbach’s alpha values obtained from the statistical test for internal reliability were all greater than 0.6, indicating an acceptable level of internal consistency for all variables. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) values for all variables exceed 0.5, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity is significant (p<0.05), confirming the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Additionally, Pearson correlation analysis reveals that value (V), belief (B), and personal norms (PN) have statistically significant positive relationships with energy conservation behavior (ECB). The findings of this study support the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between Value(V), Belief(B), and Personal Norms (PN) toward Energy Conservation Behavior (ECB). In addition, the outcome of the pilot study indicated that the questionnaire exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity for further research. The contribution of this study is it provides fundamental knowledge about energy conservation for the university management level to develop better policies to achieve a green environment.