Understanding the public's willingness to participate in the Carbon Generalized System of Preferences (CGSP): An innovative mechanism to drive low-carbon behavior in China

The Carbon Generalized System of Preferences (CGSP) is an innovative incentive mechanism implemented by the Chinese government to calculate and reward the public's low-carbon behaviors. To identify the factors influencing the public's willingness to participate in the CGSP, this study constructs a novel theoretical framework by integrating personal innovativeness, environmental concern and incentives into the technology acceptance model. The empirical analysis was conducted using a mixed method based on surveys from 631 Chinese consumers. Results show that the theoretical framework proposed in this paper can provide a robust rationale for exploring public's willingness to participate in the CGSP. Attitude, environmental concern, perceived usefulness, personal innovativeness, and incentives are determinants regarding the public's willingness to participate in the CGSP. Of these, the first four factors are necessary conditions to realize the residents' high willingness to participate. Additionally, incentives and personal innovativeness were shown to be key antecedents of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. This study could help policymakers better understand public attitudes and willingness to participate in the CGSP and provide useful practical implications for promoting the CGSP. The findings contribute valuable insights to future research on the adoption of environmental innovation technologies.