Planned Behavior Theory-based Study on the Influencing Factors in Construction Waste Reducing Willingness——with Construction Workers as an Example

Jingkuang Liu, Guokai Li, Huichong Li, Zhenshuang Wang

Ekoloji, 2017, Issue 102, Pages: 13-28, Article No: e102003

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Abstract

China’s economy has developed rapidly over the past four decades of reform and opening up. With Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations as the core representative, the urbanization has been promoted, witnessing massive construction of modern urban infrastructure and resulting in continuous accumulation of construction waste. Advocating circular economy development model is generally regarded as one effective way to solve the problem of construction waste, as it can alleviate resource shortage and environmental pressure caused by the continuously increased construction waste. Meanwhile, issues concerning construction waste reducing have attracted wide attention. According to the review of relevant literature, this paper analyzes the influencing factors in construction worker’s willingness to reduce construction waste based on planned behavior theory, and constructs a preliminary research model. The results show that: (1) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, compatibility, and personal responsibility exert positive effect on construction workers’ attitudes toward construction reducing, with effect of perceptual usefulness most significant, compatibility second, and responsibility the weakest. (2) Interpersonal influence and external influence exert increasingly stronger effect on construction workers’ reducing willingness in subjective normative perception. (3) Perceptual behavior control and behavioral intention in construction reducing have a direct impact on actual construction reducing behavior of construction workers. Where, perceptual behavior control in construction reducing exerts more significant effect on the actual construction reducing behavior compared to behavioral intention. (4) Self-efficacy, facility conditions, and financial incentives have a positive impact on construction workers’ perceptual behavior control in construction reducing, which has a gradually increasing influence degree. (5) Subjective norms and behavioral attitudes towards construction waste have a direct impact on behavioral intention in construction reducing, perceived behavioral control has no significant effect on construction workers’ behavioral intention in reducing, and subjective norms exert a more significant effect on behavioral intention in reducing compared to behavioral attitude. The research conclusions can serve as theoretical basis and decision-making reference for construction workers’ reducing management on the construction site.

Keywords

construction waste, construction workers, planned behavior theory, reducing, behavioral willingness

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