The interplay of dual awareness in shaping carbon-neutral travel behavior among young adults

While behavior change is vital for carbon-neutral tourism, research on specific actions like carbon-neutral travel behavior among younger generations remains limited. Therefore, this study investigates carbon-neutral travel behavior as a distinct form of pro-environmental behavior, emphasizing the motivations of younger travelers. The research utilized a questionnaire to gather data in Finland, incorporating the theory of planned behavior and the norm activation model. Unlike prior research that focused on awareness of negative consequences, we examined awareness of positive consequences as a factor driving personal norms. The integrated model, validated through the cross-validation predictive ability test, showed superior predictive power. The results indicated that components of the theory of planned behavior, especially social norms, directly and positively influence carbon-neutral travel behavior. Additionally, the results emphasize that awareness of positive consequences has a 4.2 times greater impact on attitude, indicating that recognizing positive outcomes can significantly influence carbon-neutral travel behavior more than awareness of negative outcomes. Ultimately, the analysis of the importance-performance map yields significant practical insights by highlighting the critical necessity to account for social norms. These findings offer valuable managerial implications for Finland and the Nordic region, helping policymakers and tourism stakeholders develop more effective interventions for sustainable travel.