My signature work investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of employing a social media-based
digital tool to encourage carbon footprint reduction among Chinese citizens, alongside exploring
their attitudes towards the use of such digital tools. Through a randomized experiment conducted
in a prefecture city within China, this research aims to assess the potential of three distinct
motivational mechanisms: voluntary incentives, scientific facts, and government-endorsed
publicity.
In collaboration with my team, we developed a mini-program on WeChat, the leading social
app in China, for an empirical evaluation. It draws inspiration from the interfaces and functions of
popular Chinese apps like Ant Forest and Xuexi Qiangguo. The analysis of collected data reveals
that the dissemination of scientific facts holds significant potential in prompting individuals to
reduce their carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the general populace shows a greater propensity to
financially support government efforts aimed at enhancing environmental quality, in comparison
to contributions towards scientific research bodies and societal organizations. Furthermore, over
half of the respondents concerned about personal information security when using digital tools,
underscoring the importance of cautiously advancing policies and strengthening multi-party
supervision in digital environmental initiatives.
