Runners’ Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Role of Place Attachment and Environmental Concern

Abstract

Understanding how sport consumers’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are shaped can be helpful for sport organizations in developing sport policies and establishing marketing strategies for the sport sector. To extend the literature on sport consumers’ PEBs, this study explored the relationship between residents’ place attachment and three types of PEBs using environmental concern as a mediator. Residents who ran habitually were recruited using an internet survey in Japan (N = 366). The results showed that place attachment was negatively associated with general PEB and place-specific PEB. However, place attachment was also positively and indirectly associated with general PEB, place-specific PEB, and ethically minded sport consumer behavior through environmental concerns. The findings contribute to the literature by identifying the mediating role of environmental concern in the relationship between place attachment and PEBs.

Keywords:

• Runner
• place attachment
• environmental concerns
• pro-environmental behaviors
• mediation effect

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest has to be reported.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rei Yamashita

Rei Yamashita (Ph.D., Waseda University, Japan) is an Assistant Professor in Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University. Yamashita’s research interests include sport tourism, events, and spectatorship. Yamashita’s work has appeared in such journals as Journal of Sport & Tourism, Sustainability, and others.

Bang An

Bang An (Ph.D., Waseda University, Japan) is an adjunct researcher in Advanced Research Center for Sport Sciences at Waseda University. An’s research interests include sport tourism, sport and well-being. An’s work has appeared in such journals as Leisure Sciences, Journal of Sport & Tourism.