Policy empowerment and the cognitive gap: a study on the mechanisms affecting the adoption of green smart home appliances in rural Yunnan under the dual carbon goals

In the context of China's "dual carbon" goals, promoting green and low-carbon transitions in rural areas is of vital importance. Studying the mechanisms behind the adoption of green home appliances can provide empirical support for policy refinement and help drive the transition toward green consumption. Based on 283 rural survey responses from Yunnan Province, this study employs a structural equation model to explore the mechanisms influencing the diffusion of green smart home appliances. The empirical results show that policy subsidies significantly promote adoption by enhancing consumers' policy awareness (path coefficient = 0.68), with policy awareness playing a critical mediating role. Consumer cognition also has a significant positive impact on purchasing behavior (path coefficient = 0.65). Household income level is positively correlated with purchasing decisions, and the presence of adequate infrastructure (such as electricity and internet access) positively moderates the policy effect (moderation coefficient = 0.55). The model exhibits good fit (CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.05). The study reveals that limited policy awareness among low-income groups constitutes a major bottleneck. It is recommended to improve policy transparency and targeting, strengthen localized policy outreach, and enhance supporting infrastructure to bridge the cognitive gap and advance the realization of the dual carbon goals.