#EnergiTanpaHenti Instagram Campaign and Pro-Environmental Behavior among PT Bukit Asam Ring 1 Residents

Background: Environmental communication through social media may increase awareness, but awareness does not necessarily translate into consistent pro-environmental behavior, particularly in communities living near extractive industry operations. Objective: This study examines the associations between exposure to PT Bukit Asam’s #EnergiTanpaHenti Instagram campaign and pro-environmental behavior and tests ecological emotion and environmental awareness as potential mediating mechanisms. Methods: A quantitative explanatory survey with a cross-sectional design was conducted among 399 eligible residents of the PT Bukit Asam Ring 1 area in Tanjung Enim, Muara Enim Regency. Respondents were required to have prior exposure to the campaign. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS to evaluate the measurement model, direct structural paths, and specific indirect effects. Because observations were collected at a single time point, the estimates are interpreted as associations rather than temporal causal effects. Results: Campaign evaluation was positively associated with pro-environmental behavior (β = 0.495, p < 0.001), ecological emotion (β = 0.693, p < 0.001), and environmental awareness (β = 0.547, p < 0.001). Ecological emotion and environmental awareness were not significantly associated with pro-environmental behavior, and neither indirect pathway was significant. Thus, the data did not support mediation through either psychological construct. Conclusion: The findings suggest that digital environmental campaigns can be associated with behavioral, affective, and cognitive outcomes simultaneously, while increased emotion and awareness alone may be insufficient to explain behavioral change. Environmental communication strategies should therefore combine informative and emotionally engaging messages with practical opportunities that enable residents to act.