Psychological determinants of low carbon digital behavior among university students in Bangladesh

The rapid digitalization of higher education has significantly increased students’ reliance on energy-intensive platforms, yet sustainable digital practices remain limited despite rising awareness of digital carbon emissions. This study examines the Awareness–Action Paradox among Bangladeshi university students by developing and validating a Digital Carbon Awareness–Action Paradox Model that integrates environmental concern, perceived behavioral control, habit strength, digital addiction, and eco-anxiety. Using a cross-sectional survey of 400 students from public, private, and National University institutions, Structural Equation Modeling revealed that awareness does not directly predict intention or perceived behavioral control but strongly influences environmental concern. Both environmental concern and perceived behavioral control fully mediated the awareness–intention relationship, confirming that awareness alone is insufficient for motivating sustainable digital behavior. Intention emerged as the strongest predictor of low-carbon digital action, whereas habit strength and digital addiction significantly weakened the intention–behavior linkage, highlighting the constraining role of entrenched digital routines and compulsive usage. Eco-anxiety did not moderate the awareness–intention pathway, suggesting that emotional distress does not translate awareness into motivation without supportive psychological mechanisms. The model explained 47.5% of the variance in intention and 41.2% in behavior, offering one of the first empirically grounded frameworks for understanding digital sustainability behavior in a developing-country context. Findings emphasize the need for interventions that enhance emotional engagement and perceived capability while addressing habitual and addictive digital consumption patterns to effectively bridge the awareness–action gap.