What Factors Affect Farmers’ Levels of Domestic Waste Sorting Behavior? A Case Study from Shaanxi Province, China

Waste sorting is a key element for solving the current predicament of rural waste management. In the pilot areas of China, farmers’ domestic waste sorting behavior (DWSB) varies significantly, whereas there are few studies exploring the mechanism of its formation. To fill this research gap, this study constructs a research model of the internal logic of farmers’ waste sorting levels (i.e., no sorting; sorting recyclable waste; sorting recyclable and kitchen waste; and sorting recyclable, kitchen, harmful, and other waste) by considering circumstantial constraints (social norms in external factors) and psychological behavioral antecedents (personal norms and group identity in internal factors). Based on pilot survey data from farmers in Shaanxi Province, China, the results of the ordered logit model indicate that social norms and personal norms were the most significant predictors of the level of DWSB, while group identity was found to have no significant influence. Furthermore, the results of the grouping regression analysis showed that personal norms had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between social norms and farmers’ DWSB. Therefore, a more positive social atmosphere, better education, and personal environmental moral responsibility for domestic waste sorting should be established to enhance their levels of waste sorting behavior.