Analysing factors affecting developers’ behaviour towards the adoption of prefabricated buildings in China

Prefabricated buildings (PBs) help alleviate housing pressure, reduce building energy consumption and solve environmental problems. However, the adoption of PBs in China has not been widespread. Despite being major suppliers of PBs, developers are still reluctant to actively adopt PBs. Thus, understanding the attitude and behaviour of developers is imperative to effectively promote PBs. This study takes the behaviour of developers towards the adoption of PBs as the entry point to discuss the critical factors affecting developers in China. Two additional variables: ‘government regulation’ and ‘economic viability’, are included in the classic theory of planned behaviour model to construct the developers’ PBs adoption behaviour model. On the basis of 198 samples, an empirical analysis of developers’ PBs adoption behaviour was performed using structural equation modelling. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control were observed to exert significant positive effects on the behavioural intention of developers. A highly positive correlation was noted between developers' behavioural intention and adoption behaviour. Government regulation and economic viability also presented a significant positive promoting effect on adoption behaviour. The additional variable ‘EV’ had the most influential impact on developers’ behaviour. This study theoretically demonstrates the influencing mechanism of developers' PBs adoption behaviour and serves as an important reference for the adoption of PBs in China.