The Impact of Environmental Public Opinion Pressure on Green Innovation in Construction Enterprises: The Mediating Role of Green Corporate Image and the Regulatory Effect of Market Competition

Abstract

Due to growing public concern over environmental preservation and the growing development of Internet information communication platforms, media coverage of corporate environmental issues can exert certain environmental public opinion pressure (EPOP) on enterprises and influence their behaviors. However, the current study of EPOP on the influence mechanism of corporate green innovation (CGI) has not yet formed a systematic and comprehensive theoretical analysis framework. Therefore, based on legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory, this paper explores the impact mechanism and role boundary between EPOP and CGI based on the data from 328 valid questionnaires of construction enterprises of the Chengdu–Chongqing Dual City Economic Circle using hierarchical regression analysis. The findings of the research indicate that EPOP can affect construction company green innovations positively, green corporate image (GCI) plays a partial mediating effect in the relationship between EPOP on CGI; market competition (MC) negatively moderates the relationship between EPOP and CGI, in addition, MC negatively regulates the intermediary effect of GCI in the relationship between EPOP and CGI. The findings of the study serve as theoretical support and decision-making reference to promote Chinese construction enterprise’s transition to green innovation and improve environmental governance level.