Can government regulation, carbon-emission reduction certification and information publicity promote carpooling behavior?

This study constructs a novel theoretical framework to uncover the effects of government regu-lation, carbon-emission reduction certification and information publicity on people's carpooling behavior. Survey data on 1056 potential users from China were empirically examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. The results reveal that government regulation and carbon-emission reduction certification can significantly improve users' carpooling intention. Information publicity not only positively influences carpooling intention but also increases carpooling behavior. Interestingly, government regulation has a more significant effect on female users, users with high educational levels and young users. Carbon -emission reduction certification may negatively affect female users' carpooling behavior. Infor-mation publicity is even effective at improving the older users' carpooling intention. This research provides new evidence and serves as an insightful decision-making reference for poli-cymakers and operators worldwide seeking to encourage people's carpooling behavior.

Automated summary

This study constructs a novel theoretical framework to investigate the effects of government regulation, carbon-emission reduction certification, and information publicity on people's carpooling behavior. The results suggest that government regulation and carbon-emission reduction certification can significantly enhance users' carpooling intention, while information publicity positively influences carpooling intention and behavior. Interestingly, government regulation has a stronger impact on female users, users with high educational levels, and young users. Carbon-emission reduction certification may have a negative effect on female users' carpooling behavior. Furthermore, information publicity is particularly effective in improving the carpooling intention of older users.