Environmental beliefs and marine pro-environmental behaviors: mediating roles of responsibility and values among Chinese university students

Grounded in the Value-Belief-Norm theory and conceptually supported by the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Norm Activation Model, this study provides an integrated framework explaining how cognitive awareness translates into marine conservation behavior. The findings underscore the dual importance of normative obligation and value-based motivation in promoting youth engagement in ocean protection and suggest that marine education and policy design should incorporate strategies that strengthen both responsibility and value orientations.