Promoting low-carbon behaviors through increased media exposure of carbon peak and carbon neutrality: Low-carbon awareness as a mediator

China has pledged to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and to strive to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. To reveal the downward transfer of these state-level goals to the individual level, we conducted a study based on social cognitive theory and investigated the diffusion effect of media exposure. Specifically, we developed a model linking media exposure of carbon peak and carbon neutrality to citizens’ low-carbon behavior. We tested our model in a survey of 650 citizens in Mainland China. We found that media exposure about the carbon peak and carbon neutrality was positively related to citizens’ low-carbon behavior, and this relationship was mediated by low-carbon awareness. These findings create a connection between media communication and low-carbon behavior and provide the Chinese government with a long-term effective way to reduce residential carbon emissions.