Cogent Psychology

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Situational factor affecting energy-saving behavior in

direct approaches in Hanoi City. The role of socio-
demographics

Tung Thanh Nguyen, Kien Trung Duong & Tuan Anh Do |

To cite this article: Tung Thanh Nguyen, Kien Trung Duong & Tuan Anh Do | (2021)
Situational factor affecting energy-saving behavior in direct approaches in Hanoi City.
The role of socio- demographics, Cogent Psychology, 8:1, 1978634, DOI:
10.1080/23311908.2021.1978634
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Thanh Nguyen et al., Cogent Psychology (2021), 8:
1978634
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2021.1978634

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | RESEARCH ARTICLE

Situational factor affecting energy-saving
behavior in direct approaches in Hanoi
City. The role of socio-demographics
Tung Thanh Nguyen1, Kien Trung Duong2* and Tuan Anh Do3
Received: 21 September 2020
Accepted: 01 September 2021
Abstract: Recently, scholars worldwide have been focusing on conducting
*Corresponding author: Kien
Trung Duong, Faculty of studies on energy-saving behavior to promote efficient usage and
Industrial and Energy conservation of energy. However, in Vietnam and some other developing
Management, Electric Power
University, Hanoi, Vietnam. countries, the research on energy-saving beha- vior is still limited,
Email: kiendt@epu.edu.vn
especially for the residence and household sectors. This research
Reviewing editor: involved the conducting of a survey on the factors that affect the energy-
Marco Tommasi, Department of
Medicine and Aging Sciences, saving behavior of households in Hanoi city. With 698 randomly collected
University of Chieti-Pescara,
Chieti ITALY
samples, this research aimed to investigate the mechanism of the direct
impact of external factors, such as policy, energy cost, energy-saving
Additional information is
available at the end of the products’ quality, and social norms. The analysis was carried out using
article structural equation modeling (SEM); the present results showed that the
quality of energy-efficient appliances and social norms affect energy-
saving behavior positively. Meanwhile, energy cost and energy-related
policies do not affect the energy-saving behavior directly but rather
indirectly. Demographic factors, such as gender, income, educational
level act as stimulant factors, promote the formation of energy-saving
behavior. This research would help policy-makers in the field of energy
get a more specific view on the effects of external factors on energy-
saving behavior and thence establish more sustainable and
environment-friendly energy-saving policies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Tung Thanh Nguyen is now working at University of Energy consumption for on resident,
industries, Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National and all fields is increasing and
markedly. In the University, Vietnam. He received a master’s degree digital age, most
equipment directly or indirectly with a major in energy management. He is consumes
energy increases the cost of electricity a Ph.D. student with a major in energy
management. for each individual or an organization, or
business. Kien Trung Duong got the Ph.D. degree in Saving energy is a necessity, but how to
do it Industrial economics from Hanoi University of effectively, not everyone understands.
Science and Technology, Vietnam. He is now Energy-saving behavior of each individual
is working at the Electric Power University, Vietnam.assessed to have a great influence on
the total Tuan Anh Do received the B.S and M.Sc. degrees in energy consumption of
households.This study electrical engineering from Hanoi University of examines the
influence of factors such as energy- Science and Technology, Vietnam in 2004 and
saving product’ quality; social norm;
external fac- 2008, respectively. He received the Ph.D. degree in tors; policy; energy
cost on energy-saving beha- electrical engineering from Dongguk University, vior of
individuals in the household. From there, Korea in 2012. He is now working at National
there are interesting results, helping
readers or Center for Technological Progress, Ministry of researchers have more correct
judgments about Science and Technology, Vietnam. energy-saving behavior.
Their main research area is behavior, energy- In addition, recommendations can help
consu- saving project, energy audit, and sustainable mers change their behavior.
Enterprises and energy development. Recently, they have organizations are oriented in
implementing the researchs that focus on energy-saving, energy program on
economical and efficient use of management, optimization for energy systems

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https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2021.1978634 © 2021 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative
Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

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Subjects: Sociology & Social Policy; Psychological Science; Social Psychology; Work &
Organizational Psychology; ConsumerPsychology; Economic Psychology

Keywords: Energy-saving; Energy-saving behavior; Household; Structural Equation

modeling

1. Introduction
Climate change has become more and more visible, creating significant impacts on
production activities as well as the livelihood of people around the world. Countries
have agreed on the necessity of changing the energy usage structure to mitigate
climate change as well as promote sustainable development. Such a process of
change depends on the energy source as well as the financial capability of the
nation.

In the early years of the 21st century, Vietnam was at risk of heavy air pollution
due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, especially in large cities (Ho et al., 2020;
Nguyen et al., 2017a). This shows that the control and use of energy are ineffective.
Besides, Vietnam also faces an energy shortage due to high world oil prices and a
decline in hydroelectricity due to unfavorable weather. Electricity consumption of
Vietnam tends to increase over the years from 2010 to 2019 due to structural changes
between economic sectors. The “convenience” of electricity has prompted the shift from
the harness of other fuels to such of electricity, for example, each household owns a lot
of appliances that consume electricity such as electric cookers; television; fridge; washing
machine; air-conditioner; phone; compu- ter . . . In that context, the National Target
Program on economical and efficient use of energy (referred to as VNEEP) for the 2006–
2010 period is designed to promote the economical and efficient use of energy sources,
and to reduce electricity consumption by 3–5% of the total commercial energy
consumption. In the span of 2011–2015, the amount of energy saved is 10,610 KTOE,
equivalent to 5.65% of the total final energy consumption of the whole period. The
VNEEP 3 program (from 2019 to 2030) is the inheritance, setting an overall goal of
saving 5.0–7.0% of the total energy consumption in the years 2019–2025; 8.0–10.0%
of total energy consumption in the years 2025–2030.

In efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the target groups of households need
to pay special attention. Household energy usage contributes significantly to
greenhouse gas emissions. Faced with the reality of increasingly depleting energy
resources, energy efficiency has become important in many areas for all countries of
the world to achieve sustainable development (Cai et al., 2019). Many countries around
the world have implemented various processes to promote energy conservation
through a variety of measures. In the field of scientific researches for sustainable
economic devel- opment, scholars pay much attention to energy-saving behavior (Hong
et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2011; Webb et al., 2013; Yue et al., 2013a; Zhang et al., 2018).
People’s daily behaviors include the owner- ship behavior of energy-consuming and
end-use usage behavior which is more heterogeneous and difficult to regulate than in
other industries. Population is always a challenging topic for policymakers (Hong et al.,
2019). The difference between the nature and culture of life leads to the energy
consumption behavior of each household in each area. Due to this, energy-saving
policies are difficult to be implemented, so studying the behavior, cultural lifestyles
of each region and implementing individual measures and policies will be more
effective.

Lopes et al. (2012), which studied energy-using behaviors and modeling behavior
approach, has concluded that the energy behavior is relatively complex, it depends
on the individual, the context in question, as well as many other factors, and is
related to numerous specialized fields like sociology, psychology, economics, and
engineering. Especially, there are studies that bare rele- vance to our research area
(Belaïd, 2017; Sardianou, 2007; Wang et al., 2011).
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The most recent study looked at the role of social demographic factors and policy
interventions on energy-saving behaviors in the population (Tang et al., 2019a).
According to (Tang et al., 2019a), factors that affect residential energy efficiency could
be divided into three categories: social demographic factors, policy interventions, and
psychological factors. The research has shown that demographic variables including
age, gender, size of household, and education level are the significant factors that
influence behaviors and activities household energy efficiency (Frederiks et al., 2015;
Yang et al., 2016). Policy interventions such as taxes and subsidies, money, discounts or
rewards, and feedback have also been found to be significantly related to household
energy-saving behaviors (Mizobuchi & Takeuchi, 2013). Furthermore, energy-saving
behaviors are also influenced by social norms and attitudes (Ding et al., 2016; Wang et
al., 2018).

In France, many case studies have been conducted on energy-saving behaviors

(Belaïd, 2018, 2017; Belaïd & Garcia, 2016; Belaid et al., 2020; Lévy & Belaïd, 2018).
The outstanding study conducted by Belaïd and Garcia (2016) based on a multivariate
statistical approach using data from surveys assessed the impacts of 5 factors:
energy price, household income, education level, age of head of household and
dwelling energy performance on energy-saving behaviors. The results show that
energy price possesses a significant impact on energy-saving behaviors and income;
there is no effect to change the energy consuming habits of households. The male is
believed to have a negative influence on energy-saving behaviors. Attitudes towards
investment behavior are encouraged by educational attainment factors. However,
this study mainly evaluated the residential area of the building. There is a need for
more researches to expand the scope of the households such as the diversity of
housing sizes, the cultural interference among central areas such as urban and peri-
urban areas, and to diverse gathering places such as residential or industrial
concentrations.

China is also a country with orientations to increase energy consumption, there

are many studies on energy-saving behaviors and energy-saving intentions among the
population, especially among households (An et al., 2014; Bai et al., 2018; Cai et al.,
2019; Chen et al., 2013; Ding et al., 2017a; Hong et al., 2019; Ru et al., 2018; Tan et
al., 2017; Wang et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2018; Zhao et al.,
2019). (Zhang et al., 2018) applied the SEM model to explore how factors affect
urban household energy-saving behavior in Shandong province and provide insights
to know more comprehensively about the impact mechanism of external influences
and energy- saving intentions on energy-saving behaviors. External influencing factors
include quality of energy efficiency products, publicity, and education, social norms
and policies, and regulations that have a significant impact on adopting energy-
saving behavior. While the social demographic factors are not very statistically
significant. This study has shown the indirect and direct effects of potential variables
on energy-saving behaviors. However, this study still possesses many limitations
such as the small number of survey samples, which have not shown the
characteristic diversity of repre- sentative samples. The research has not yet
specifically evaluated policies for behavior change.

In Vietnam, many scholars have recently expressed interest in improving energy

efficiency Nguyen et al. (2019) in the survey of actual energy consumption of
households has shown that occupant behavior depends on the financial status of the
occupants. Many low-income families consume less energy because they cannot
afford many electrical appliances. Le (2019), when conducting research on energy
demand in Vietnam, suggested that low energy prices in Vietnam led to high energy
demand, high power intensity index, and ineffectiveness. Nguyen (2019) explored
the electricity demands of households in Vietnam in the period 2012–2016, and took
into account the demographic variables are that households’ electricity demand is
often in the short term, the electricity demand varies among ages in a family, and

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regarding families with increased income, electricity consumption demand also
increases. However, these studies only stopped at the exploitation capacity and
demands for energy, no study referred to the energy- saving behaviors of
households that improve the efficiency of energy use.

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In the present study, we considered the direct impact of external factors on the
energy-saving behaviors of urban residents in Viet Nam. More specifically, this study
examined the impact of factors such as social norms, quality of energy-saving products,
energy prices, and energy policies on energy- saving behaviors. This study carries out
investigative surveys in Hanoi city. This is the second most populated city in Vietnam,
with a total population of more than 8 million people and an urban population density of
about 9,343 people/ km2 (this is also a predictor of the possibility of increasing demand
energy use). Besides, Hanoi City is also the capital and center of the socio-economic
development of Vietnam. We have expanded the scale of the survey compared to many
previous studies (Belaïd, 2017; Belaïd & Joumni, 2020; Belaid et al., 2020; Wang et al.,
2018), we have overcome the shortcomings of the studies done in some developed
countries and conducted random household surveys throughout the city. The obtained
data consist of 698 valid responses after data processing. This research made
important contributions to the literature on energy-saving behaviors. Implementing this
study in the less devel- oped countries will expand existing energy efficiency literature.
Besides, this study is expected to provide policymakers with in-depth insights into the
energy-saving behaviors of urban residents in Vietnam as the research data on
energy-saving behaviors exceptionally little amount. This study could benefit
stakeholders involved in enhancing energy-saving behaviors in underdeveloped
countries.

In the next section, the concept of energy-saving behavior and direct impact
factors is intro- duced. We establish appropriate hypotheses and social demographic
variables related to the energy-saving behaviors of people. After that we present the
research methodology and descrip- tion of the data to be collected. Finally, we
display the main results and the relevant policies will be discussed. Some limitations
and suggestions for future research have also been made.

2. Literature review and hypotheses development

2.1. Energy-saving behavior

There is a wide variety of energy-saving behavior within households, involving all of
the energy- consuming activities such as lighting, cooking, air-conditioning,
refrigerating, and entertainment (Leighty & Meier, 2011). Moreover, some researchers
pointed out that the behavior-changing interven- tions are diverse that can be divided
into different research directions, such as (1) research on behavior altering to change
behavior for more efficient energy usage (Abrahamse et al., 2005; Attari et al., 2010; Barr
et al., 2005; Black et al., 1985; Poortinga et al., 2003); (2) Behavior that relate to the
reduction of the degree of usage or comfortability or satisfaction, convenience of the
user, for example: turn off light, or reducing appliance usage (Karlin et al., 2014; Liu et
al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2018).

2.2. Social norms

The Social norm is the social tendency to agree and disagree, which indicates the
dos and don’ts. For example, there are social norms of waste disposal, smoking,
singing, when to stand or sit, when to speak up or listen, and when to discuss. In
reality, there are social norms of almost every aspect of human behavior (Sunstein,
1995).

The social norms are implemented via punishments; these punishments create a
range of different emotional responses within the mind of the violator. If someone
behaves does not follow social norms, the public rejection shall generate
embarrassment and the urge of concealing.

The recent research conducted on the impact on energy-saving behavior is related

to the effect of social norms (; Wang et al., 2014), meaning, the socially expected
behavioral models are applied to certain circumstances. The expectation of
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standardized individual behavior might come from family, friends, and other more
general social norms (Martinsson et al., 2011). Barr et al. (2005) claimed that active
participation in social activities shall impact the acceptance toward energy-saving
behavior.

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In the present study, we hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between

social norms and energy-saving behavior (H1).

2.3. Quality of energy-saving product

The two major determinants that affect energy-saving behavior are purchasing
behavior and habitual behavior (Yue et al.,). Habitual behavior is driven by the
lifestyle and culture of the consumer, this indicates stable consumption during a
certain period. Some previous research on the energy-saving behavior of
households mentioned the motivation of energy consumption within households, for
example, economic factors, demographic factors, and awareness have been
identified as the forming foundation of energy-saving behavior. Ha and Janda (2012)
pointed out that the purchasing of energy-saving products is one of the most
significant behaviors in reducing energy consumption. Nguyen et al., (2017b)
studied the individual standards, attitude toward the environment, subjective
standards and barriers of awareness, all of them affect behavior toward the
environment, particularly considering the purchasing of energy-efficient appliances
in Vietnam, the increase in procuring energy-saving products shows better
responsible toward the environment. The research also pointed out the value of
applying categorizing stamps for energy-saving products helped promote the
purchasing behavior of Vietnamese consumers.

In the present study, we hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between

the quality of energy-saving product and energy-saving behavior (H2).

2.4. Energy price

By applying a multivariate regression model, some scholars have discovered that
increasing the price of energy significantly reduced the energy consumption of
inhabitants; moreover, economic expense played a negative role in regulating
energy consumption (Webb et al., 2013). Gyamfi and Krumdieck (2011) found that
energy-saving behavior in New Zealand is mostly affected by eco- nomic factors like
electricity price and financial aid.

In the present study, we hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between

energy price and energy-saving behavior (H3).

2.5. Policy
Yang et al. (2016) studied the positive impact on energy-consuming behavior of the
Chinese urban population of energy relating policies. The policy factor has an
important impact on the energy- consuming behavior of the population, the impacts
of economic expense and social technology are not to be disregarded. Wang et al.
(2017) indicated that financial aid plays a considerable role in identifying the
energy-saving behavior of Chinese households. Cao et al. (2015) discovered that
informatic policy tools might provide significant positive guidance for the rural
population in adopting low carbon-based energy consumption by implementing
cluster analysis base on the collected survey data of rural households in the
ecological-economic region of Poyang lake.

Yao et al. (2014) applied the quantum regression function to studied the impact of
financial aid policie and existing family asset behavior on the average per capita
energy consumption. This research pointed out that the financial aid policies have a
positive impact on the energy consumption of general rural and urban inhabitants.
They also found that the aiding policies have a recovery impact on inhabitants’ total
consumption, which leads to an increase in energy consumption. Yang and Zhao
(2015) surveyed on 526 people on purchasing energy-saving appliances, the result
showed that income had a positive regulating impact on the relationship between
attitude and behavioral tendency. The notion of financial aid policies is still in high
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regard among low-income households.

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Tang et al. (2019b) described the energy-saving affecting factors among

inhabitants consist of three types: social demographic factors, policy interventions,
and psychological factors; within which, demographic factors include major agents
such as age, gender, income, education level, housing status. Policy interventions
consist of agents like taxes, money, and feedback. For exam- ple, the policies of
increasing carbon dioxide tax and other energy-related tax in Sweden have
encouraged households to change their energy- consuming behavior into a more
efficient fashion along with the application of different energy models (Martinsson et
al., 2011). Besides, Sweden has applied different measures, the communication
policy to provide households with information of visible economic value to encourage
households to adopt more specific energy-saving practices.

In the present study, we hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between

policy and energy-saving behavior (H4).

2.6. Demographic variable

Demographic variables are often added to behavioral research models as special
variables. According to researches by various scholars around the world,
demographic variables including gender, age, marital status, size of housing, and
education level are important factors influencing energy-saving behaviors (Frederiks
et al., 2015; Tang et al., 2019a; Yang et al., 2016; Yue et al., 2013a).

2.6.1. Gender
Many studies show differences between behaviors of males and females (Barr et al.,
2005). Women tend to consider environmental concerns more often when making
decisions. On the other hand, men are more interested in the number of functions and
technical improvements of the equipment (Gaspar & Antunes, 2011). Furthermore,
gender seems to have an impact on energy consumption and the tendency to
change energy consumption habits because women tend to be slightly more energy
efficient (Carlsson-Kanyama & Lindén, 2007; Ucal, 2017). Yang et al. (2016) shows that
women’s daily behavior of energy-saving and their intention to invest in energy
efficiency is higher than that of men.

2.6.2. Age
Gaspar and Antunes (2011) found that elders have significantly higher concerns
about environ- mental, social, resource, and long-term savings issues. Also
regarding age, (Abrahamse and Steg, 2009; Chen et al., 2013; McLoughlin et al.,
2012) suggest that older people have higher energy needs, such as more heating
during winter and air conditioning during summer that increase electricity
consumption. For households whose heads are over 50 years old, electricity
consump- tion is about 3% higher (Zhou & Teng, 2013).

2.6.3. Income
A study in Sydney founds that income influences energy-saving behaviors because
most wealthy families agree to pay for energy-efficient services and devices (Lenzen
et al., 2006). Lower-income households often live in homes with older electrical
appliances that consume more energy and are classified as low-efficiency energy
consumers. Barr et al. (2005) found that household income and home-ownership
affect energy-saving behavior. Families with low financial means want to reduce
energy costs. People living in houses with great economic conditions tend to be
more energy- efficient than people living in apartment buildings.

2.6.4. Highest education

Ucal (2017) studies the energy-saving behaviors of Turkish women, who use energy-
consuming appliances at home. The results indicate that the highly educated
women classify electrical appliance and possess more attentive attitude towards
climate change. Families with higher education levels have higher electricity
consumption than the middle or lower classes (McLoughlin et al., 2012; Zhou &
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Teng, 2013). The research model is presented in Figure 1.

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Figure 1. Conceptual model.

Situational factors
Control variables
Social norms +
H1
Age
+
Quality of H2 Energy-saving
energy-saving behaviors
Gender
+
H3
Income
Energy price H4
+

Highest
education
Policy

3. Study method

3.1. Study design

The structural equation model (SEM) is a widely applied method among scholars.
This model includes statistical methods (regression, factor analysis, analysis of
variance), which explain com- plex relationships among factors. SEM, commonly known
as the LISREL: Linear Structured Relations model, is a part of the second-generation
powerful multivariable data analysis technique that can evaluate linear additive and
causal models supported by hypothesis (Kline, 2015a).

According to Grace et al. (2010), SEM is more prominent than other models in
estimating causal effects through the analysis of path relationships. One of the
greatest advantages of the SEM is its ability to include latent variables (i.e.,
unobservable quantities such as real point variables or factors that underpin the
variable observations) in causality models. Other advantages of SEM over regression
techniques are the ability to simultaneously evaluate integrated causal networks
(Lowry & Gaskin, 2014); and the capacity to integrate other multivariate regression
models.

The questionaire for each factor of the model was refered from the study of Zhang
et al. (2018). The question sentences have been also modified after discussion with
05 energy-saving behavior research specialists and mock interviews with 10
households, the collected results gave the content of the questionaire in Table 1.
The applied scale for the questions was 5-point Likert scale with 1-strongly disagree;
2-disagree; 3-mutual; 4-agree; 5-strongly agree.

3.2. Sampling and data collecting method

We conducted a large number of surveys. For the model empirical survey, we
carried out inter- views in different districts of Hanoi city, collected a total of 698
complete questionnaires. The data collected between 2019 and 2020 are a
combination of results using three different forms with three different respective
approaches: local survey, internet survey, and a direct survey by phone. Random
surveys are mainly conducted in densely populated areas such as shopping malls,
parks, residential markets, and apartment complexes to find out how many people
are interested in researching. The sample size of 698 completed questionnaires
provided sufficient input for data collection and analysis of studies using the data
analysis method. The detailed demography is presented in Table 2.

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Table 1. The questionnaire

Constructs Questionnaire items Reference
Social norms (SN) SN1 You think that Zhang et al. (2018)
households need to be
aware of energy-
saving behavior.
SN2 You must take
action to save
energy because of
mandatory
regulations.
SN3 If everyone around you
engages in energy
saving, you will be
more involved in
energy saving.
Quality of energy-saving QL1 You will choose to Zhang et al. (2018)
product (QL) purchase energy-
labeled equipment
firstly.
QL2 Customer feedback
on energy-efficient
products is an
important factor in
your choice of
purchasing the
product.
QL3 You will be interested
in the right product
then the energy-saving
product.
Energy price (PR) PR1 You will change
transportation if
gasoline or oil prices
rise.
PR2 You will change the
habit of using
electrical equipment
when electricity prices
rise.
Energy policy (PO) PO1 Policies and Zhang et al.
regulations play an (2018)
important role in
promoting and
encouraging me to
improve and change
energy-saving
behaviors.
PO2 Your energy-saving Zhang et al.
behavior because of (2018)
the relevant policies
and regulations.
Energy-saving behavior BE1 When you do not use Zhang et al. (2018)
(BE) the device for a long
time, you will turn off
the device to reduce
power consumption.
Ex: Turn off the power
of the television before
going to bed or unplug
the microwave if not
frequently used.

BE2 You will use curtains

to reduce room
temperature.
BE3 You will use public
transport daily.

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BE4 You will use the shower
in the bathroom to
save water.

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Table 2. Sample categorization

Frequency Percent
Gender Male 344 49.3
Female 354 50.7
Academic background High school 65 9.3
College 51 7.3
Graduate 466 66.8
Post-graduate 116 16.6
Profession Student 301 43.1
Unemployed 9 1.3
Worker 50 7.2
Engineer 65 9.3
Office worker 199 28.5
Teacher/Lecturer 26 3.7
Other 48 6.9
Income Below 2 40 5.7
(million Viet Nam Dong) From 2–5 83 11.9
From 5–10 VND 227 32.5
Above 10 348 49.9
Total 698 100.0

3.3. Data analysis method

Multivariate analysis was applied in analyzing the studied data. The samples were
applied to a reliability assessment scale. The selecting standard was the Cronbach
Alpha coefficient being higher than 0.7 (Hair et al., 2014; Nguyen et al., 2016), the total
variable correlation bigger than 0.3 (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994). The confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) was applied to assess the converging value, distinctive value
and compatibility of the model to the actual data. The research hypotheses were
verified using structural equation modeling (SEM) at the mean level of 5%. The
compatible standards of the model include Chi-square/df lower than 3.0;
comparative fix index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), incremental fit index (IFI) larger
than 0.9, root mean square errors of approximation (RMSEA) smaller than 0.08 (Hair
et al., 2014; Hooper et al., 2008; Kline, 2015b). Weighted factors larger than 0.5 of
each factor were considered to reach convergence and the square-root of the
extracted variance being is larger than the correlation between the research
concepts were the concepts that gained discriminant value (Hair et al., 2014).

4. Result and discussions

4.1. Reliability assessment

The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients were larger than 0.6 indicating that the scales after
removing the items with Corrected items—total Correlation smaller than 0.3 are reliable
(SN1, BE1, BE3 were removed when the Corrected items—total Correlation were
smaller than 0.3).

Confirmation Factor Analysis (CFA) is a statistical technique applied to confirm the

factor establishment of a series of observed variables. CFA enables the researcher
to inspect the hypoth- esis of the existence of a relationship between observed
variables and their underlying structure. The researcher, using knowledge of theory,
experimental research, or both, gives a prior correlation model and then statistically
examines the hypothesis.

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The CFA result showed that the data reached convergence with weighted factors
larger than 0.5. The total reliability was bigger than 0.7 and the average variance
extracted (AVE) being larger than 50 showed that all research concepts were reliable
(Table 3).

The correlation coefficient between the variables were smaller than square-root of
the AVE indicating that the factors reached discriminant value (Table 4).

Discriminant validity is the prerequisite to inspect the relationship among the

potential variables. Discriminant validity is a term mentioned by Hair Jr et al. (2016) to
consider the difference between two constructs in terms of statistical correlation. To
test Discriminant validity, Fornell and Larcker (1981) proposed using the square root
of AVE in each latent structure. Therefore, we check if this AVE value belonging to
each latent variable is much greater than any correlation among the underlying
structure pairs.

Finally, the model compatibility values CFI = 0.992; TLI = 0.986 and IFI = 0.992 were
larger than 0.9, RMSEA = 0.036 smaller than 0.08, and Chi-square/df = 1.992 smaller
than 3.0 showed that the data of the study were compatible with the data of the
market. The CFA result is presented in Figure 2.

Table 3. The reliability test

Factors Cronbach’s λ Composite AVE
Alpha reliability
QL2 <— QL 0.789 0.795 0.802 0.758
QL1 <— QL 0.738
QL3 <— QL 0.740
PR2 <— PR 0.719 0.815 0.724 0.755
PR1 <— PR 0.689
PO2 <— PO 0.826 0.830 0.827 0.840
PO1 <— PO 0.849
SN2 <— SN 0.726 0.731 0.728 0.756
SN3 <— SN 0.781
BE2 <— BE 0.714 0.760 0.712 0.743
BE4 <— BE 0.726
QL: Quality of energy-saving product; PR: Energy price; PO: Energy policy; SN: Social norms; BE: Energy-saving behavior

Table 4. Discriminant validity

Mean QL PR SN PO BE
QL 3.844 0.871
PR 3.605 0.678 0.869
SN 3.916 0.816 0.703 0.870
PO 3.809 0.800 0.693 0.743 0.916
BE 3.842 0.862 0.701 0.819 0.763 0.862

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Figure 2. CFA analysis result.

4.2. SEM model analysis result

SEM model result provided the values in table below and Figure 3.

The result pointed out that the quality of energy-saving products had the strongest
and most positive impact on energy-saving behavior (β QL = 0.685 and p-value = 0.000).
Subsequently, the social norms had the second strongest and most positive impact
on energy-saving behavior (βQL
= 0.192 and p-value = 0.045). Factors like price and policies did not directly affect the
energy- saving behavior of households. It can be explained that ongoing policies in
Vietnam have been fairly stable, with no sudden changes in energy prices. Therefore,
when we did the survey, the results show that there is not much influence from the
above factors. Gender factor had a direct impact on energy-saving behavior with β QL =
0.065 and p-value = 0.032 respectively. This result indicated that women have the
tendency to save more energy than men (male coded as 1; female

Figure 3. SEM analysis result.

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Table 5. The SEM analysis result

Standard S.E. P-value
beta
BE <— QL 0.685 0.099 0.000
BE <— PR 0.106 0.056 0.112
BE <— SN 0.192 0.097 0.045
BE <— PO −0.008 0.07 0.924
BE <— Gender 0.065 0.043 0.032
BE <— Age −0.023 0.001 0.451
BE <— Edu 0.015 0.028 0.630
BE <— Income 0.014 0.025 0.640

coded as 2). Regarding the factor of age, academic background, and income, these
factors did not affect households’ energy-saving behavior (p-value > 0.05). The SEM
result is presented in Table 5.

5. Conclusion and policy implications

The present study has introduced a model to evaluate the direct impact of external
factors on energy-saving behavior in households. The results of the present model
that have been tested by applying the SEM analysis method showed the role of
external impact factors as follows: the quality of energy-saving products plays a
core role in identifying energy-saving behaviors, parti- cularly behaviors of
purchasing energy-saving products. Moreover, the factor of social norms shows the
role in forming the consensus of society about the importance of energy-saving
behavior. The social environment is a necessary place to disseminate energy-saving
products and promote buying behavior among consumers. An interesting finding in
the present study when considering demographic factors is that gender positively
affects energy-saving behaviors, specifically that women tend to practice energy-
saving behavior more than men. Since most households in Hanoi city are more
active during the evening, the woman plays an important role in using energy-
consuming equipment such as cooking, boil water, refrigerators usage, washing
machines, water heaters. These suggestions could also be found in the research of
Ucal (2017).

Besides, we have found that energy-saving policies in Hanoi city are not effective, the
application of the law on economical and efficient use of energy has been
implemented in Vietnam since 2012 for service activities and households but has
not fundamentally changed consumers’ energy- saving behavior. The new measures
are merely encouragement, there has been no specific solu- tion. For example, the
government encourages households to design housing that can take advantage of
natural light and ventilation. The government needs to organize activities to dis-
seminate knowledge about energy use and how to save energy indoor. For each type of
household, it is necessary to design and use appropriate equipment.

This study has made significant contributions in terms of the research

methodology. Firstly, we did preliminary evaluations: evaluation of variance and
standard deviation to determine the reliability of the model. We then evaluated the
correlations between the independent and the dependent variables. Finally, we
performed regression analysis to test our hypotheses.

Based on the results and analysis of why Vietnam’s energy-saving policies

applying to house- holds have no significant effect on consumers’ energy-saving
behavior, thence we introduce the following policy recommendations.

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Firstly, the government needs to implement supporting policies for energy-efficient

devices. Stimulate the consumption of energy-saving devices, disseminate knowledge to
consumers to form green con- sumption habits, acquire long-term buying experience
in the market and get acquainted with buying energy-saving equipment; this could be a
long-term benefit in terms of making energy-efficient devices more common. Residential
energy-consuming products have recently been labeled with energy for classification,
e.g., energy-efficient air-conditioning products, refrigerators using energy-saving technol-
ogies, and energy-saving fans. However, most consumers are still unable to identify the
benefits of using energy-saving products, or simply because the market is still infested
with replicated products with quality that have energy-saving labels. This causes a
loss of trust from consumers.

Furthermore, different incentive programs can be deployed simultaneously.

Especially the com- bination of renewable energy products such as rooftop solar
power, solar water heaters should receive price support from the government to
directly encourage people to install and use. This would contribute to energy
conservation and sustainable energy development.

Besides, given the strong influence of energy-saving products, the government can
develop a process for subsidizing energy-saving products, along with focusing more on
the management and monitoring of support programs. The government should also
strengthen international cooperation to share information and experiences, optimize
positive impacts, and share lessons learned that have been summarized from other
countries. This would be the lever that drives energy efficiency practices and energy
labeling.

Finally, the government needs to increase publicity efforts on energy conservation and
environmental protection to improve people’s environmental awareness. We make use of
the full coverage of the internet and the popularity of communication mediums such as
television, smartphone, taking advantage of social media is also common. Most
importantly, we adhere to the national development strategy through science and
education; strengthen the country’s science and technology capability, organize
many scientific activities and conferences to improve the scientific and cultural quality
of the entire country.

6. Limitaion and future research

In this study, we used descriptive statistical methods to identify the relationship
among external factors that directly affect energy-saving behavior. Besides, we
considered the role of social demographics variables. It can be observed that this
study has investigated, surveyed, and evaluated the mechanisms in the form of
energy-saving behaviors. However, it is necessary for a longer period in order to
maximize the data accuracy. Furthermore, the scope of assessment needs to be
expanded in terms of indirect effects from other factors.

In Vietnam, the climate also acts as an important factor in increasing energy

demand and forming energy-saving behaviors. In the near future, we will carry out
further studies to evaluate the role of climate change factors. The technological
factor also requires to be considered more carefully as culture, socio-economy are
progressively developing, due to the 4.0 industrial revolution.
1
Funding Faculty of
The authors received no direct funding for this Engineering
research. Physics and
Nanotechnology,
Author details Vnu University
Tung Thanh Nguyen1 of Engineering
Kien Trung Duong2 and Technology,
E-mail: Vietnam
kiendt@epu.edu.vn National
Tuan Anh Do3 University,

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Hanoi, Vietnam.
3
2
Faculty of Industrial and Energy Management, National Center for Technological Progress,
Electric Power University, Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam Ministry of Science & Technology, Hanoi,
Vietnam.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the
author(s).

Credit authorship contribution statement

Writing-original draft, Conceptualization,
Methodology: Tung Thanh Nguyen; Writing-review
and editing, Data curation and software: Kien Trung
Duong and Tuan Anh Do.

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Citation information bicycle-

Cite this article as: Situational factor affecting sharing in
energy-saving behavior in direct approaches in China. Journal
Hanoi City. The role of socio-demographics, Tung of Cleaner
Thanh Nguyen, Kien Trung Duong & Tuan Anh Do, Production, 212,
Cogent Psychology (2021), 8: 1978634. 602–609.
https://doi.org/
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Thanh Nguyen et al., Cogent Psychology (2021), 8:
1978634
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2021.1978634

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