Behavioral mechanisms of consumption stimulation: A MOA framework analysis of national subsidies usage

A critical challenge in public management and behavioral decision-making is understanding how to translate consumption stimulus policies into actual consumer action. By applying the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) framework, this study aims to systematically examine the behavioral mechanisms that drive how consumers receive and use national subsidies. The results showed that: (1) motivation, opportunity and ability have significant positive effects on the intention to claim the national subsidies, and the perceived benefits and pleasant experience are especially critical; (2) the intention to claim the national subsidies significantly predicts the actual use behavior, which verifies the mechanism effect of the “intention-behavior” path; (3) AI-assisted decision-making and return convenience have a significant positive moderating effect on the “intention-behavior” path; (4) the middle- and low-income groups are more sensitive to the incentive path, showing obvious heterogeneity. Random forest test and hot spot analysis of secondary data are further employed to ensure the robustness of conclusions and provide further insights about the spatial distribution of subsidies. The study not only expands the applicable boundaries of MOA model in the study of policy adoption behavior, but also provides empirical evidence and practical suggestions for optimizing the design of subsidy policy and enhancing the efficiency of policy implementation.