Research On The Willingness To Pay Of Chinese Urban Residents For Energy-saving Appliances And Its Influencing Factors

Globally,household energy consumption accounts for a growing share of energy consumption.By reporting the energy efficiency of various household appliances,the energy efficiency labeling system can guide consumers to buy high-level energy-saving appliances and reduce the home energy consumption.The price has affected the consumer to choice the high-level energy-saving appliance.In order to promote energysaving appliances,it is necessary to discuss the price differences acceptable of local residents and the main factors affecting the willingness to pay.At the same time,we should identify the people who have high willingness to pay for energy-saving appliances,so as to promote energy-saving appliances.Based on this,this paper focuses on the existing theoretical research gaps,on the basis of reference to sustainable development theory,externality theory,household energy consumption theory and consumer behavior theory,on the energy-saving appliance payment intention and the main influencing factors.In China,energy-saving appliances under the energy efficiency label system are classified into five levels(such as range hoods)or three levels(such as air conditioners).Level-1 is the highest level among five levels of energy-saving appliances,and from level-1 to level-3 are the main investment objects in urban markets and e-commerce markets.Therefore,this paper selects level-3 appliances as the basis to discuss residents' willingness to pay extra for level-1 ones and level-2 ones.Based on the results of previous studies,the Contingent Valuation Method was used to design the questionnaire.In order to ensure that the survey subjects cover different economic levels,age stages and cultural levels,paper questionnaires and online questionnaires are simultaneously issued to conduct the survey.According to the results of the questionnaire,based on the price of level-3 appliances(Appliances with average energy consumption),this study explores residents' extra willingness to pay for level-1(The most energy-saving appliances)and level-2 appliances(More energy efficient appliances).The influence of each factor on residents' willingness to pay was discussed from five aspects: demographic factor,related socio-economic factor,product perception factor,altruistic values factor and other factors.Logistic regression was used to identify the variables that significantly affected the willingness to pay extra for energy-saving appliances.At the same time,with reference to the significant variable,one-way ANOVA analysis of variance was adopted to comprehensively identify the population with high willingness to pay for energy-saving appliances.A total of 2587 questionnaires were issued,and 1971 urban residents were selected for statistical analysis.The results show that Chinese urban residents are green consumers and are willing to pay extra for higher-level and more energy-saving appliances.Compared with the level-3 average energy consumption appliances,residents pay 21.17% extra price for the level-2 appliances which are more energy efficient,and residents prefer to choose the 15-25% extra cost.Residents are willing to pay an average of 33.02% extra for the most energy-saving level-1 appliances,and residents prefer to choose 25-40% extra costs.The research shows that demographic factors,related social and economic factors,product perception factors,altruistic values factors and related external factors all have different effects on residents' willingness to pay.In general,the willingness of different groups to pay extra for energy-saving appliances is mainly affected by the economic burden of their families,the environmental awareness of individuals and the perception of energy-saving products.Therefore,the female of advanced educational background,the male of high-income family,teenager student group,the young and middle-aged group with good perception of energy-saving appliances have higher willingness to pay for energy-saving home appliances.The research results can provide guidance for the purchase of energy-saving home appliances,help industry decision makers to make more reasonable price differences,and provide effective reference for the government to make relevant policies.