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Effects of risk perception, SNS uses, personal characteristics on climate change participation behaviors of millennials in South Korea

Author: Son, Yeon-A,Jun, Jong Woo
Publisher: Abingdon: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2318793
Source: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/326091/1/10.1080_23311975.2024.2318793.pdf
Son, Yeon-A; Jun, Jong Woo
A icle
E ec s o isk pe cep ion, SNS uses, pe sonal
cha ac e is ics on clima e change pa icipa ion beha io s
o millennials in Sou h Ko ea
Cogen Business & Managemen
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Taylo & F ancis G oup
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Son, Yeon-A; Jun, Jong Woo (2024) : E ec s o isk pe cep ion, SNS uses, pe sonal
cha ac e is ics on clima e change pa icipa ion beha io s o millennials in Sou h Ko ea, Cogen
Business & Managemen , ISSN 2331-1975, Taylo & F ancis, Abingdon, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 1-11,
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ISSN: 2331-1975 (Online) Jou nal homepage: www. and online.com/jou nals/oabm20
Effec s o isk pe cep ion, SNS uses, pe sonal
cha ac e is ics on clima e change pa icipa ion
beha io s o millennials in Sou h Ko ea
Yeon-A Son & Jong Woo Jun
To ci e his a icle: Yeon-A Son & Jong Woo Jun (2024) Effec s o isk pe cep ion, SNS uses,
pe sonal cha ac e is ics on clima e change pa icipa ion beha io s o millennials in Sou h
Ko ea, Cogen Business & Managemen , 11:1, 2318793, DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2318793
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© 2024 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma
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Published online: 26 Feb 2024.
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Cogen Business & ManageMen
2024, VoL. 11, no. 1, 2318793
E ec s o isk pe cep ion, SNS uses, pe sonal cha ac e is ics on
clima e change pa icipa ion beha io s o millennials in Sou h
Ko ea
Yeon-a sona and Jong Woo Junb
aDepa men o science educa ion, College o educa ion, Dankook uni e si y, gyeonggi-do, sou h Ko ea; bschool o Media
Communica ion, Dankook uni e si y, gyeonggi-do, sou h Ko ea
ABSTRCT
global clima e change has also become a p oblem aced by college s uden s in ko ea.
college s uden s can also pa icipa e in clima e change- ela ed ac ions, such as educing
disposables. his s udy in es iga ed he e ec s o pe cep ion o clima e change isk,
media use, and pe sonal cha ac e is ics on pa icipa ion beha io o clima e change
wi h uni e si y s uden s, who a e p ac ical s akeholde s in clima e change. hypo hesis
1 is suscep ibili y, hypo hesis 2 is se e i y pe cep ion, hypo hesis 3 is sns use,
hypo hesis 4 is sel -e icacy, and hypo hesis 5 is he e ec o social con o mi y on
pa icipa ion beha io . Da a was collec ed h ough a su ey, and as a esul o da a
analysis, i was ound ha he social suscep ibili y among he wo isk suscep ibili y
inc eased pa icipa ion beha io . i was ound ha pe sonal suscep ibili y did no a ec
pa icipa ion beha io . nex , he pe cep ion o he se e i y o clima e change was
e i ied as a key ac o in inc easing clima e change pa icipa ion beha io . Pe cep ion
o se e i y was he mos in luen ial a iable in he eg ession analysis. People who use
sns in o ma ion on clima e change we e also ac i e in pa icipa ion. among pe sonal
cha ac e is ics, people wi h high sel -e icacy had posi i e pa icipa ion beha io , bu
people’s social con o mi y did no a ec pa icipa ion beha io . hese esul s show he
pe cep ion o clima e change om he pe spec i e o college s uden s, he millennial
gene a ion, and p o ide p ac ical implica ions o clima e change pa icipa ion beha io .
In oduc ion
he claim ha i has eached an unbea able le el is gaining pe suasi e powe , ye no all people a ound
he wo ld may know how o be willing o change hei beha io o mi iga e his p oblem. his esea ch
in es iga es he isk pe cep ions, use o sns (social media se ice), and pe sonal cha ac e is ics o millen-
nials (ages 20–39) in sou h ko ea o disco e whe he hey would be willing o pa icipa e in clima e
change beha io s. hese beha io s include educing disposable i ems, sepa a e ga bage collec ion, using
public anspo a ion, e c. Wi h his in o ma ion, clima e change communica o s will be be e equipped
o pe suade millennials o change hei beha io s ega ding clima e change. his esea ch is based upon
a su ey o 209 many millennials who a e cu en ly s udying a uni e si y.
Fo issues such as clima e change, people’s pe cep ion o isk is an impo an a iable. Depending on
how isky people pe cei e, hei a i ude owa d he issue changes and he p obabili y o aking ac ion
inc eases (hong & Jun, 2020). ecognizing he impo ance o isk pe cep ion, s udies ha e been con-
duc ed on he ole o isk pe cep ion in a ious ields. s udies on economic isk pe cep ion in p oduc
pu chase and physical isk pe cep ion in e ms o heal h communica ion a e ep esen a i e. he issue o
clima e change is also no immedia e, bu i poses a g ea dange o he communi y in he long e m.
he e o e, esea ch on isk pe cep ion is equi ed o unde s and people’s pe cep ion o clima e change
and p edic hei beha io .
© 2024 he au ho (s). Published by in o ma uK Limi ed, ading as aylo & F ancis g oup.
CONTACT Jong Woo Jun [email p o ec ed] school o Media Communica ion, Dankook uni e si y, gyeonggi-do, sou h Ko ea
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/23311975.2024.2318793
his is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons a ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which
pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. he e ms on which his a icle has been
published allow he pos ing o he accep ed Manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o wi h hei consen .
ARTICLE HISTORY
ecei ed 6 Janua y 2023
e ised 9 augus 2023
accep ed 6 Feb ua y
2024
KEYWORDS
clima e change; isk
pe cep ion; se e i y
pe cep ion; sns uses;
sel -e icacy; and social
con o mi y
REVIEWING EDITOR
len iu W igh , De
Mon o Uni e si y
Facul y o Business and
law, Uni ed kingdom
SUBJECTS
Pe suasion; isk
communica ion; heal h
communica ion
2 Y.-a. sOn anD J. W. JUn
Wi h he decline o adi ional media, communica ion on clima e change issues also needs o change.
he numbe o people who ead newspape s has d as ically dec eased, and he in luence o ele ision
a ies depending on he ime o day, bu i is a eali y ha is no he same as be o e (kang, 2019, p. 1,
2). howe e , he use o digi al-based media is explosi ely inc easing (kang, 2019, p. 1, 2). he media
a icles a e also used on sma phones, and he pla o m used is also concen a ed on po al si es a he
han adi ional media si es (noh, 2018, p. 5, 17). he e a e many cases in which use s di ec ly sea ch o
in o ma ion hey a e cu ious abou , and mo e and mo e cases come in o con ac wi h speci ic issues
h ough sns. he e o e, social issues such as clima e change a e inc easingly being accessed by pla -
o ms such as sns a he han adi ional media, and esea ch on hem is also needed.
he media ha e on a g ea impac on pa icipa ion in he issue o clima e change (Jun, 2021). in
addi ion, psychological ac o s o indi iduals a ec accep ing a speci ic issue (Yu & lee, 2023). some
people ac i ely pa icipa e in en i onmen al p o ec ion ac i i ies ha a e pe sonally incon enien and
bo he ing. hey a e people who belie e ha hey can make an impac on clima e change wi h hei
small con ibu ion. also, he e may be people who lea n and pa icipa e in o he people’s en i onmen al
p o ec ion ac i i ies. he cha ac e is ics o hese indi iduals should also be e lec ed in he esea ch. in
pa icula , esea ch on he pe cep ion o he millennial gene a ion, which is di ec ly a ec ed by clima e
change, is impo an . Millennials show di e en cha ac e is ics om olde gene a ions. al hough hey
end o be indi idualis ic and sensi i e o hei own in e es s, hey appea o alue he in e es s o he
communi y as well as hei own in e es s (neil & William, 2007). Unde s anding hem can be key o
sol ing he clima e change p oblem.
his s udy explo es he an eceden ac o s ha a ec public pa icipa ion in clima e change issues.
speci ically, wi h isk pe cep ion as a key a iable, he in luence o sns we e in es iga ed. in addi ion,
sel -e icacy and social con o mi y we e p oposed as pe sonal cha ac e is ics a iables o model he ela-
ionship be ween pa icipa ion beha io and clima e change. as he subjec o he s udy, he young
people, who a e key s akeholde s in clima e change, we e selec ed and he s udy was conduc ed.
Li e a u e e iew
Risk pe cep ion
in o de o ind ou he ac o s ha a ec clima e change beha io , le ’s i s look a isk pe cep ion. he
concep o isk pe cep ion includes bo h subjec i e and objec i e aspec s (Mccomas, 2006). he angible
isk app oached objec i ely and he isk pe cei ed by indi iduals a e di e en . he e a e indi idual di -
e ences in pe cei ing isk, and expe s pe cei e isk based on objec i e da a o ac s, bu he gene al
public uses he se e i y o he consequences o isk as a basis o judgmen (Jacobs & Wo hley, 1999).
he e a e a ious ac o s ha a ec he o ma ion o isk pe cep ion, and isk can be pe cei ed no only
om pe sonal expe iences bu also om in e ac ions wi h o he s (slo ic, 2000). as an indi ec expe ience,
media use is said o ha e a majo in luence on isk pe cep ion, and con inuous esea ch is being con-
duc ed on isk pe cep ion communica ion (leiss, 1996). isk pe cep ion esea ch can be classi ied in o
se e al ypes acco ding o he objec o isk. a he business le el, i includes esea ch on possible isks
in he p ocess o pu chasing p oduc s o se ices, and esea ch on a oiding o p e en ing isks associ-
a ed wi h sa e y o heal h.
Pe cep ions o isk also a y ac oss cul u es. adi ional isk pe cep ion s udies using psychological
a iables ha e e ealed he cogni i e s uc u e o isk pe cep ion wi hin indi iduals, bu ha e he disad-
an age o no being able o explain he di e ences be ween indi iduals and he easons o he di e -
ences (k aus & slo ic, 1988; Wilda sky, 1987). acco dingly, Douglas and Wilda sky (1982) explained
di e ences in isk pe cep ion among indi iduals h ough cul u al heo y, and hey saw ha he wo ld
iews o indi iduals a ec beha io .
in his s udy, isk pe cep ion was di ided in o suscep ibili y and se e i y a ge ing he millennial gen-
e a ion, and i s in luence was in es iga ed. suscep ibili y is di ided in o social and pe sonal dimensions
and is how ulne able people eel o isks. se e i y pe cep ion e e s o he pe cep ion o how se ious
an impending dange is. cul u al ac o s can in luence pe cep ions o isk. ko ea is classi ied as a coun y
wi h ep esen a i e collec i is endencies (ho s ede e  al., 2010). in he case o ad e ising messages,
cOgen BUsiness & ManageMen 3
appeals o g oups a e known o be mo e e ec i e han appeals o indi iduals. in p e ious s udies, i has
been epo ed ha social isk pe cep ion is mo e in luen ial han indi idual isk pe cep ion in ko ea.
(Woo e  al., 2021). howe e , in he case o millennials, hey o en show cul u al cha ac e is ics di e en
om hose o olde gene a ions (Jun, 2020). he cha ac e is ics o millennials can be oughly di ided in o
se e al ca ego ies (langcas e & s illman, 2010). Fi s , he ela ionship wi h pa en s is close. second, hey
s ongly belie e ha hey can achie e wha hey wan . hi d, bo h pe sonal success and social meaning
a e impo an . Fou h, hey ha e high expec a ions o hei oles. Fi h, hey a e good a in o ma ion
de ices and good a mul i asking. six h, hey a e amilia wi h sns and online communica ion and use
i a lo . se en h, hey a e good a collabo a ing wi h o he s h ough eamwo k lea ned om online
games. hese cha ac e is ics o millennials can ha e a di e en impac on isk pe cep ion han olde
gene a ions. he e o e, hey s udy would like o examine he ole o cul u al ac o s and how he cha -
ac e is ics o he millennial gene a ion wo k in isk pe cep ion.
Pe sonal and social isk suscep ibili y
a key ac o cons i u ing isk pe cep ion is suscep ibili y. isk suscep ibili y can be di ided in o pe sonal
suscep ibili y and social suscep ibili y. Pe sonal suscep ibili y is he pe cep ion o dange s acing onesel ,
and social suscep ibili y is he pe cep ion o dange s o o he s ( yle & cook, 1984). in gene al, people’s
isk pe cep ion ends o e alua e o he s’ isks mo e highly han hei own isks, and his endency can
be explained by op imis ic bias (Weins ein, 1989) o hi d-pe son e ec (Da ison, 1983). Op imis ic bias
e e s o belie ing ha e en s will de elop posi i ely, and he hi d-pe son e ec e e s o o e es ima ing
he isks o o he s a he han he isks o onesel . in a collec i is cul u e such as ko ea, he e is a en-
dency o pe cei e social isks mo e han indi idual isks. Messages a e o en mo e e ec i e i hey
emphasize social isk (hong & Jun, 2020).
isk pe cep ion has a posi i e e ec on subsequen beha io al in en ions. he e ec o his isk pe -
cep ion was e i ied o a ious subjec s. a ep esen a i e s udy on he e ec o isk pe cep ion on in ec-
ious disease Me s (Middle eas espi a o y synd ome) on p e en i e beha io al in en ion (hong & Jun,
2020). Bo h indi idual isk pe cep ion and social isk pe cep ion appea ed o ha e an e ec , and he
in luence o social isk pe cep ion was g ea e . isk pe cep ion esea ch on clima e change also p o es
i s in luence on beha io . ou is s’ isk pe cep ion o clima e change appea s o induce en i onmen ally
iendly beha io (choi e  al., 2022). isk pe cep ion o clima e change can be di ided in o na u al isk
pe cep ion, inancial isk pe cep ion, and physical isk pe cep ion, and inancial isk pe cep ion a ec s
pu chase in en ion o eco- iendly ou ism p oduc s (Min e  al., 2015).
a suscep ibili y s udy was also conduc ed on he e ec on he dependen a iable by di iding i in o
pe sonal suscep ibili y and social suscep ibili y. in a s udy o ko ean uni e si y s uden s, pe cep ion o
isk o Me s a ec s bo h pe sonal suscep ibili y and social suscep ibili y on p e en i e beha io al in en-
ion (hong & Jun, 2020). his s udy a ge s he millennial gene a ion, and i is judged ha he in luence
o pe sonal suscep ibili y and social suscep ibili y may be di e en due o he cha ac e is ics o he gen-
e a ion. he e o e, he ollowing indi idual hypo heses a e p oposed o he ole o he wo isk suscep-
ibili y on clima e change pa icipa ion beha io , and he di e ence in impac by ype o isk suscep ibili y
will be e i ied.
h1-1: Pe sonal suscep ibili y will posi i ely in luence pa icipa ion in en ion.
h1-2: social suscep ibili y will posi i ely in luence pa icipa ion in en ion.
Se e i y pe cep ion
ele a ed le els o conce n abou clima e change lead o consen o collec i e ac ion (s e enson e  al.,
2017). People’s pe cep ions o he se e i y o speci ic isks inc ease hei mo i a ion o engage in
decision-making p ocesses o add ess uni e sal isks. howe e , since each indi idual has di e en pe -
cei ed and expe ienced isks, he e a e di e ences in how o quan i y and cope wi h isks, which can
lead o con lic s due o con lic ing opinions (Bo e ill & Mazu , 2004; Mon oe, 1990; obinson e  al.,
2012). adi ionally, pe cep ion o he se e i y o isk has a posi i e e ec on people’s p e en i e

4 Y.-a. sOn anD J. W. JUn
beha io al in en ions (se e son & Mye s, 2012). as a esul o examining he in luence o isk pe cep ion
in he a ian in luenza awa eness s udy a ge ing he gene al public in ko ea, o he a iables did no
ha e an e ec , and i appea s ha he pe cep ion o he se e i y o isk inc eases he in en ion o ac
on p e en ion (song e  al., 2014). in a s udy on isk pe cep ion o Me s, which was conduc ed by su -
eying ko ean college s uden s, he pe cep ion o se e i y also appea s o ha e a posi i e e ec on he
in en ion o p e en ac ion (hong & Jun, 2020). he e o e, his s udy p oposes he ollowing hypo hesis,
expec ing ha he pe cep ion o he se e i y o clima e change will ha e a posi i e e ec on clima e
change pa icipa ion beha io .
h2: se e i y pe cep ion will posi i ely in luence pa icipa ion in en ion.
Media e ec s
he media e ec has been e i ied in a ious ields, bu i is also widely used in clima e change and isk
pe cep ion s udies. he media is a signi ican ac o in luencing people’s pe cep ion o isk. his media
e ec can be explained by he cul i a ion heo y. (Jun, 2021). Mos o he s udies ha ha e explo ed he
in luence o he media on en i onmen al issues ha e ocused on analyzing he media con en o on he
p ocess o ecognizing he isks o en i onmen al issues (Zhao e al., 2011). he media daily p o ides he
public wi h heal h- ela ed issues and ela ed ea s, wa nings and wa nings o dange (calman, 2001).
Mass media con en s such as ele ision, newspape s, books, and magazines con ibu e o enhancing
unde s anding by p o iding use s wi h knowledge abou en i onmen al issues (s amm e  al., 2000).
howe e , he media’s handling o en i onmen al issues ocuses on he esul s o he in e ac ion o in o -
ma ion sou ces, e en s, and human d amas a he han a uni e sal me hod ha ocuses on scien i ic
disco e ies (Mazu & lee, 1993). he media ends o emphasize he d ama ic elemen s o en i onmen al
issues mo e han o epo he isks inhe en in en i onmen al issues based on ac s (g eenbe g e  al.,
1989). en i onmen al issues depic ed in he media a e o en c i icized o s imula ing people’s cu iosi y
a he han con eying objec i e in o ma ion, bu he gene al public is mo e a ec ed by he se iousness
o he consequences han objec i e ac s (Jacobs & Wo hley, 1999).
he e o e, i can be expec ed ha clima e change in o ma ion depic ed in he media will ha e a di ec
impac on people’s pa icipa ion in clima e change. he media e ec is also con i med on sns. i can be seen
ha people who ha e used in o ma ion abou cOViD-19 a lo h ough sns du ing he cOViD-19 pe iod ha e
an inc eased isk pe cep ion (Jun, 2021). his s udy p oposes he ollowing hypo heses o he in luence o sns.
h3: sns uses will posi i ely in luence pa icipa ion in en ion.
Pe sonal cha ac e is ics
his s udy is o ind ou how ko ean cul u al cha ac e is ics and millennial cha ac e is ics a e in ol ed in
he in luence o clima e change pa icipa ion beha io . e en in pe sonal cha ac e is ics, he e a e a i-
ables ha e lec Wes e n and eas e n cha ac e is ics. ho s ede’s cul u al dimension, which explains cul-
u al di e ences be ween coun ies, is ep esen a i e (ho s ede e  al., 2010). analy ical/holis ic hinking
endencies a e also equen ly used o explain cul u al di e ences (nisbe , 2003). in addi ion, he con-
cep o sel can be seen as a concep mainly based on Wes e n cul u e. in Wes e n socie y, which alues
he indi idual, sel -awa eness has a g ea in luence on people’s a i udes and beha io s. On he o he
hand, social a iable is a concep mainly e lec ing o ien al cha ac e is ics. i is a cul u e ha emphasizes
‘we’ a he han ‘me’, and has a communi y-cen e ed iew a he collec i e le el a he han indi idual
being he subjec . in his chap e , i would like o discuss he in luence and he di e ence o sel -e icacy
and social adjus men a iables on pa icipa ion beha io .
Sel -e icacy
he concep o sel -e icacy was p oposed in social lea ning heo y and can be de ined as he deg ee o
which indi iduals belie e hey can o e come he en i onmen hey a e in Bandu a (1977). sel -e icacy
cOgen BUsiness & ManageMen 5
is in ol ed in mo i a ion, cogni i e esou ces, and decision-making in he p ocess o wo k (gis & Mi chell,
1992). he exp ession o sel -e icacy a ge s wha one can do wi h one’s abili ies and skills (Bandu a,
1993). People wi h high sel -e icacy ea ask pe o mance posi i ely, a ec posi i e sel -consciousness,
and hey enjoy challenging asks (Bandu a, 1977). People wi h high sel -e icacy end o ea di icul
si ua ions posi i ely and no be a aid o new si ua ions (lee & Yoon, 2008). People wi h high sel -e icacy
espond posi i ely o he accep ance o an i-smoking ad e isemen s, which absolu ely equi e
sel - es ain (Yang & Baek, 2009). sel -e icacy goes beyond he indi idual le el and a ec s social issues,
and makes social con ibu ion ac i i ies posi i ely e alua ed (Yoon & lee, 2014). conside ing he in lu-
ence o sel -e icacy, i can be expec ed ha sel -e icacy will posi i ely a ec he in en ion o pa icipa e
in social issues such as clima e change.
h4: sel -e icacy will posi i ely in luence pa icipa ion in en ion.
Social con o mi y
adi ionally, compliance means ha he beha io o a pa icula ac o con o ms o ules o no ms.
compliance appea s in a ious o ms depending on he a ge . compliance o a social policy means ha
he a ge g oup o he policy esponds o he beha io desi ed by he policy, and i can be said ha
he a ge g oup esponds o he policy no ms and goals (lee, 2017). Public us in he go e nmen
lowe s isk pe cep ion and inc eases con enience pe cep ion, esul ing in inc eased policy accep ance
(lim e  al., 2016). People who con o m o he buying beha io o o he s and conside hei own pu -
chases ha e a high endency o social con o mi y, and hey can be expec ed o be mo e likely o con-
o m o socially desi able beha io s. he e o e, he deg ee o social con o mi y is expec ed o ha e a
posi i e e ec on he in en ion o pa icipa e in clima e change issues, and he ollowing hypo hesis is
p oposed.
h5: social con o mi y will posi i ely in luence pa icipa ion in en ion.
Me hodology
Su ey
his s udy used a ques ionnai e su ey o e i y he ole o a ious independen a iables in one model. a
su ey was conduc ed wi h ko ean uni e si y s uden s as a sample. Millennials a e a eal s akeholde in he
clima e change c isis and a gene a ion ha has o bea he social cos . he e o e, uni e si y s uden s a e
an impo an subjec in clima e change esea ch. he ques ionnai e was dis ibu ed and collec ed online a
he Dankook Uni e si y in he seoul me opoli an a ea. he collec ed da a was analyzed using sPss.
Measu emen s
isk suscep ibili y was measu ed by di iding i in o pe sonal suscep ibili y and social suscep ibili y
(Mo on e al., 2001). as o sns use, he le el o use was measu ed o wi e , Facebook, ins ag am, and
You ube. sel -e icacy was measu ed by he i ems o Buh mes e e  al. (1988). social con o mi y was
measu ed by Yoo e  al. (2014)’ i ems. se e i y pe cep ion was measu ed by he i ems o imal e  al.
(2009). Beha io al in en ion o pa icipa e in clima e change measu ed he in en ion o pa icipa e in
clima e change issues (s a o d e  al., 1996). De ailed measu emen i ems can be ound in able 1.
Resul s
Sample p o ile
as a esul o he su ey collec ion, a o al o 209 college s uden s pa icipa ed in he su ey. among
he esponden s, 114 (54.5%) we e male and 95 (45.5%) we e emale. he age o he esponden s anged
om 18 o 29, and he a e age age was 20.9 (s anda d de ia ion = 2.3).
6 Y.-a. sOn anD J. W. JUn
Hypo heses es ing
his s udy is o in es iga e he in luence o isk pe cep ion, sns use, and pe sonal cha ac e is ics o
ecipien s on clima e change pa icipa ion beha io . o e i y he hypo heses p oposed in his s udy,
hie a chical eg ession analysis was conduc ed on da a collec ed h ough su eys. he independen a i-
ables included in he analysis model we e pe sonal suscep ibili y, social suscep ibili y, se e i y pe cep ion,
sns use, sel -e icacy, and social con o mi y in o de . in his s udy, he mos impo an a iables o isk
suscep ibili y is pu in i s , and hen, we wan o e i y whe he he ole o isk suscep ibili y is main-
ained in he model. he dependen a iable is he beha io al in en ion o pa icipa e in social ac ion o
sol e he clima e change c isis. Fi s o all, in isk suscep ibili y, he esea ch model 1 a ge ing pe sonal
suscep ibili y and social suscep ibili y a iables showed ha only social suscep ibili y was s a is ically sig-
ni ican (p<.001). h1-2 was suppo ed. in Model 2 in which pe cep ion o se e i y was inpu , pe cep ion
o se e i y was s a is ically signi ican (p<.001). h2 was suppo ed. howe e , he social suscep ibili y,
which had a signi ican e ec in Model 1, declined o a limi ed le el (p<.10). in he case o sns use,
Table 1. Measu emen scales and desc ip i e s a is ics.
Cons uc s Measu emen scales M SD α
sns uses i o en came ac oss in o ma ion abou clima e change on
Facebook
3.54 1.32 0.717
i o en came ac oss in o ma ion abou clima e change on
ins ag am
i o en came ac oss in o ma ion abou clima e change on wi e
i o en came ac oss in o ma ion abou clima e change on
You ube
sel -e icacy i can always sol e di icul p oblems i i pu in enough e o 5.15 0.858 0.879
i someone disag ees wi h me, i can ind ways and means o ge
wha i wan
i is easy o me o pe se e e h ough di icul ies o achie e my
goals
i am con iden ha e en unexpec ed asks can be pe o med
e icien ly enough
i know how o deal wi h an opaque si ua ion based on my
su icien wisdom
Wi h e o , i can sol e mos p oblems
i always keep my composu e in di icul si ua ions because i
belie e in my abili y o cope
When i ace a p oblem, i can ind many solu ions
When aced wi h a di icul si ua ion, i can hink o he
necessa y solu ion
i can handle mos any hing ha comes my way on my own
social con o mi y My amily and iends mainly use he p oduc s i use 4.01 1.18 0.864
he people i con ac o en use he p oduc s i use
My co-wo ke s mainly use he p oduc s i use
People who a e impo an o me eel ha i should use he
p oduc s hey use
People who in luence my beha io hink i should use he
p oduc s hey use
Many people a ound me mainly use he p oduc s i use
Pe sonal isk suscep ibili y Clima e change is an impo an issue o me 5.12 1.33 0.887
i am conce ned abou he damage om clima e change
i will be a ec ed by clima e change
i pe sonally eel he isk o clima e change is high
social isk suscep ibili y Clima e change is an impo an issue in ou socie y 5.50 1.13 0.835
i am conce ned abou he damage he public will su e om
clima e change
he public will be ha med by clima e change
he isk he public eels abou clima e change is high
se e i y pe cep ion Clima e change is a mo al dange o anyone 6.03 1.00 0.832
someone is mo e likely o be se e ely a ec ed by clima e
change
Clima e change is one o he se ious h ea s
Clima e change is mo e le hal han any o he p oblem
Beha io al in en ion i is likely o engage in ac ion o sol e clima e change p oblems,
i necessa y
5.54 1.15 0.939
i is possible o pa icipa e in ac ion o sol e clima e change
p oblems i necessa y
i is p obable o pa icipa e in clima e change p oblem-sol ing
ac ions i necessa y
cOgen BUsiness & ManageMen 7
which was sugges ed as a media a iable, i was ound o be s a is ically signi ican (p<.001). h3 was
suppo ed. in Model 3, in which sns use a iables we e inpu , he in luence o social suscep ibili y dis-
appea ed. Finally, among pe sonal cha ac e is ics, sel -e icacy showed s a is ically signi ican in luence
(p<.05). h4 was suppo ed. howe e , social adap a ion was no s a is ically signi ican (p>.05). in sum.
among six hypo heses, h ee hypo heses we e suppo ed ( able 2).
Discussions and conclusion
his s udy in es iga ed how isk pe cep ion o clima e change, media use, and pe sonal cha ac e is ics
a ec college s uden s’ pa icipa ion beha io s in clima e change issues. as a esul o analyzing he
su ey da a, i was ound ha social suscep ibili y among isk suscep ibili y had a posi i e e ec on
pa icipa ion beha io (hypo hesis 1-2). Pe sonal suscep ibili y did no ha e a signi ican e ec (hypo hesis
1-1). nex , he pe cep ion o he se e i y o clima e change had a posi i e e ec on clima e change
pa icipa ion beha io (hypo hesis 2). sns use as a media a iable had a posi i e e ec on pa icipa ion
beha io (hypo hesis 3). among pe sonal cha ac e is ics, sel -e icacy had a posi i e e ec on pa icipa-
ion beha io (hypo hesis 4). howe e , social adap a ion did no show any signi ican esul s (hypo hesis
5) (Figu e 1).
his s udy p o ides an academic explana ion o he ela ionship be ween isk pe cep ion and clima e
change pa icipa ion beha io in he eali y o inc easing awa eness o he isk o clima e change.
conside ing isk suscep ibili y and se e i y pe cep ion a he same ime, explana o y powe o g adual
e ec s is also p oposed. in pa icula , isk suscep ibili y was di ided in o pe sonal suscep ibili y and social
suscep ibili y and applied o he ko ean cul u al en i onmen . ko ea is known o exhibi a collec i is ic
cul u e and p io i ize decision-making by he g oup o e he indi idual (ho s ede e  al., 2010). his cul-
u al endency also a ec s isk pe cep ion, and his was e i ied. in addi ion, he ac ha he impac o
isk suscep ibili y on pa icipa ion beha io was in es iga ed o he millennial gene a ion, which is cul-
u ally di e en om he olde gene a ion, can be said o be di e en om p e ious s udies. he ac
ha no only a iables ela ed o isk suscep ibili y bu also a iables ela ed o sns use and pe sonal
cha ac e is ics as media a iables a e comp ehensi ely conside ed is also meaning ul in he s udy.
Table 2. Resul s o hie a chical eg ession.
DV iV Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4
Clima e change
beha io
Pe sonal isk pe cep ion 0.100 0.062 −0.049 −0.024
social isk pe cep ion 0.442*** 0.171# 0.138 0.120
se e i y pe cep ion 0.440*** 0.516*** 0.487***
sns uses 0.275*** 0.262***
sel -e icacy 0.115*
social con o mi y −0.008
adjus ed R2=(∆R2) 0.264 0.365(0.104) 0.427(0.064) 0.433(0.012)
F38.249*** 40.896*** 39.764*** 27.506***
#p < .1; *p < .05; ***p < .001.
Figu e 1. Resea ch model and esul s.