Evaluating Driving Factors of Environmental Behavior of Red Brick Industry Actors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, with a total death toll of 143 445 people as of November 1, 2021, ranked second highest in Asia, disturbing many livelihoods, including the red brick industry. This study aims to analyze the extent to which environmental behavior manifests and assess the capacity and incentive driving forces that affect the environmental behavior of actors in the red brick industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was conducted through questionnaires, data processing, and analysis of descriptive and inferential data using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed that the environmental behavior of actors in the red brick industry was less good (12.12%), pretty good (69.69%), and good (18.18%). This study utilized the capacity and incentive variables as driving forces. The variables that contribute to capacity can be categorized as environmental knowledge, social capital, financial capital, natural capital, and physical capital. On the other hand, the incentive variables specifically encompass market signals and government incentives. Neither of the variables have been effective in motivating environmental behavior toward a better or optimal direction. Moreover, their concurrent influence on environmental behavior was weak (8.2%). The study of human behavior focuses on the causal chain. It is, therefore, multi-dimensional, meaning that control or influence of certain factors over behavior is relatively difficult to achieve. The optimal contribution of society toward environmental protection and control has not been realized.