How internet use and policy awareness affect village cadres' pro-environmental behaviors in China: a social cognitive theory perspective.

The pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of village cadres, who are the primary executives of rural grassroots governance in China, directly influences the effectiveness of rural environmental management. A deeper understanding of the drivers shaping their PEB is therefore crucial for informing interventions that promote the transition to sustainable agriculture. Based on Social Cognitive Theory and utilizing micro-level survey data from 298 village cadres in Hainan Province, this study empirically examines the association between internet use and their PEB. The results demonstrate that: (1) Internet use is significantly positively associated with village cadres' PEB. (2) Internet use is positively associated with PEB by elevating their ecological policy awareness; furthermore, social networks are associated with a stronger effect of internet use on improving policy awareness. (3) Perceived environmental degradation is found to positively moderate the relationship between internet use and lifestyle-oriented PEB, whereas no significant moderating effect exists for production-oriented PEB. (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that internet use is significantly positively associated with PEB among agriculture-dominant cadres, small‑scale farmers, and higher‑educated cadres, but not among their counterparts. This study provides important insights for enhancing the environmental governance efficacy of village cadres and promoting sustainable agricultural and rural environmental development.