A survey and analysis on public awareness and performance for promoting circular economy in China: A case study from Tianjin

Abstract The main objective of this study is to create a better understanding of public awareness and performance in the promotion of a Circular Economy (CE) in Tianjin, China. The data and information used in this paper were collected by distributing questionnaires randomly in 6 urban districts and interviewing 600 respondents. The results indicate that the residents have limited awareness and a poor understanding about the CE program. However, they hold a positive attitude toward garbage sorting while most of the residents simply classify the garbage into categories that can be sold, reused or exchanged for new ones. People's awareness of the CE program has a positive correlation to their educational level, whereas their pro-environmental and resource conservation behavior has a positive correlation to the age of the respondents.