Analysis of the impact of environmental perception and place attachment on proenvironmentalbehavior in leisure and tourism complexes in Tabriz

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of place attachment with environmental perception and their effect on pro-environmental behaviors in Oun-Ibn-Ali, a recreational and cultural complex in Tabriz, Iran. In this regard, place attachment was considered as an emotional bond between human beings and natural place while environmental perception was propounded as a cognitive factor. According to the literature review, the variables of environmental behaviors (civic action, policy support, and recycling dimensions), place attachment (place attachment, affective attachment, place identity, and social bonds), and environmental perception (activism, aesthetics, crime rate, interestedness, pleasure, preference, comfort, and safety dimensions) were investigated. this field survey was conducted among 214 visitors of the Oun-Ibn-Ali tourism complex, selected via systematic random sampling. The data were collected by a questionnaire containing a combination of the available scales. Later, SPSS.24 and AMOS.24 software were run to analyze the data. Findings indicated that the respondents were at a moderate level of environmental quality perception, but at favorable levels of place attachment and pro-environmental behaviors. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the constructs of environmental behaviors, place attachment, and environmental perception dimensions were valid. According to the structural equation modeling, a positive and significant correlation was found between environmental perception and place attachment, so that these variables had a significant effect on improving the individuals' pro-environmental behaviors.