Nature connection and Adolescents’ Pro-environmental Behavior: An Analysis Based on Chain Mediation

This study aimed to investigate the intrinsic mechanisms linking nature connection and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) in adolescents by constructing a chain mediation model, with a focus on the mediating effects of empathy with nature and moral identity. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was administered to 379 adolescents aged 12–16 from three cities in Yunnan Province, China. The findings revealed that: (1) significant positive correlations were observed among adolescents' nature connection, empathy with nature, moral identity, and pro-environmental behaviors; (2) nature connection exerted a significant direct predictive effect on pro-environmental behaviors; and (3) moral identity and empathy with nature play a chain mediating effect between adolescents' nature connections and pro-environmental behaviors. These findings illuminate the psychological pathways through which a sense of connection to the natural world encourages responsible environmental behavior and offers practical guidance for educational initiatives to enhance adolescents' engagement with ecological issues.