Does education level affect individuals’ environmentally conscious behavior? Evidence from Mainland China

We analyzed data from 8,710 participants in the 2013 China General Social Survey by using the instrumental variable method to assess the impact of the number of years of individuals’ formal education on their environmental behavior. The results show that more formal education significantly increased individuals’ public and private environmental behavior. Higher levels of formal education improved individuals’ environmental knowledge and their environmental pollution awareness, which directly affected their environmental behavior. Having had more formal education was also associated with having a higher socioeconomic status and economic income, which increased the demand these individuals reported for a better environment and affordability of environmentally friendly actions, which indirectly affected their environmental behavior. Our findings indicate that a further increase in the supply of education may improve China’s current environmental problems.