Environmental cognition and peer attitudes: Influencing tourists' waste‐sorting behavior in rural tourism destinations

Abstract This research assesses the determinants impacting the behavior in rural tourism destinations regarding tourists' waste sorting (WSB), emphasizing the significance of social norms and peer networks. Survey data was gathered from 955 participants in rural tourist destinations across Henan, Shandong, and Anhui provinces. The empirical findings illuminate several crucial aspects: (1) social norms and peer networks wield a positive, catalyzing influence on tourists' WSB in rural tourism settings. (2) Peer attitudes shape tourists' WSB, and environmental cognition plays a pivotal mediating role. The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive exploration of the influence of social norms and peer networks on tourists' WSB in rural tourism destinations, highlighting the unique interplay of cognitive, behavioral, and attitudinal factors in this context. (3) Cognitive norms and behavioral norms have a more significant impact on female tourists. (4) For frequent travel groups, social norms affect waste‐sorting behavior less.