Antecedents of environmental protection participation intentions among Chinese adolescents: The perspectives of rational choice, moral norms, and supporting environment

Abstract Environmental issues caused by human activities are posing a threat to the health and well‐being of all humanity. Environmental education is a key component of global efforts to address and mitigate environmental change. Adolescents, who will be the future citizens combating climate change, are the primary group receiving this education. Building on the theory of planned behaviour, this research extends the norm activation model and social cognitive theory to examine the factors influencing adolescents’ engagement in environmental protection activities. The model integrates rational factors, moral responsibility and external environmental influences, offering a thorough exploration of the factors that shape behavioural intentions. Structural equation modelling is used to identify the key factors that significantly influence adolescents’ intention to participate in environmental protection. The results indicate that personal norms, resource support, social norms, perceived behavioural control and attitudes towards environmental protection all significantly influence adolescents’ behavioural intention. Social support does not significantly affect behavioural intention. Personal norms have a greater influence on behavioural intention than subjective norms. This study presents a comprehensive adolescent environmental intention model for understanding the factors influencing adolescents’ intention to engage in environmental protection and offers a reference for future research on environmental education programmes and the development of intervention strategies.