Transitioning to clean energy in rural China: The impact of environmental regulation and value perception on farmers' clean energy adoption

To promote farmers' clean energy adoption and guide green practices, this paper studies the impact of environmental regulation and value perception on their behavior. Using questionnaire data and a logistic model, this paper analyzed the effects of environmental regulation and value perception on farmers' clean energy adoption behavior and their mediating role. Findings indicate: (1) Both environmental regulation and value perception positively influence farmers' adoption of clean energy. Specifically, guiding, incentive, and constraint regulations are all found to promote clean energy adoption among farmers. Similarly, perceptions of economic and ecological value also have a positive impact on their adoption behaviors. (2) Guiding, incentive, and constraint regulations can significantly enhance the perception of ecological value. While incentive regulation positively influenced the perception of economic value, guiding and constraint regulations do not show a significant impact in this regard. As rational economic agents, farmers make decisions based on a comprehensive comparison of costs and benefits. The lack of significance in constraint regulation suggests a "relative institutional failure" in current environmental regulations, particularly in curbing undesirable behaviors among farmers. (3) Value perception serves as an intermediary in the relationship between environmental regulation and farmers' adoption of clean energy. The government should strengthen environmental regulations on farmers while enhancing the role of value perception to improve rural ecological development. This study enriches theoretical research on clean energy adoption and offers practical guidance for promoting farmers' adoption of clean energy.