Nexus of environmental literacy and green behavior for environmental resilience in the lens of SOR theory

This study investigates the dynamic relationships between environmental literacy, green behavior, environmental awareness, sustainability mindset, and environmental resilience within the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework. As environmental challenges such as climate change and resource depletion intensify, building adaptive capacities collectively known as environmental resilience has become crucial. While environmental literacy and green behavior are established drivers of sustainability, the cognitive and affective mechanisms linking them to resilience remain insufficiently explored. Employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), this study examines both direct and mediated effects of environmental literacy and green behavior on resilience through environmental awareness and sustainability mindset. Beyond structural modeling, Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) identifies the constructs most influential in enhancing resilience while highlighting areas requiring improvement, and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) establishes threshold levels of key antecedents essential for resilience development. The findings confirm that environmental literacy and green behavior significantly enhance resilience both directly and indirectly, with awareness and mindset acting as partial mediators. The integration of PLS-SEM, IPMA, and NCA provides a robust, multidimensional understanding of the drivers of resilience, offering theoretical contributions by extending the SOR model to environmental contexts. Practically, the study highlights the need for holistic strategies that simultaneously strengthen knowledge, encourage eco-friendly behaviors, and cultivate sustainability-oriented mindsets to empower communities in adapting to and recovering from environmental challenges.