DOES ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS VIA SNSS CREATE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION INTENTION AMONG THE MILLENNIALS?

Abstract

Globalization as well as digitalization is changing not only the business formats but also the environmental scenario of this planet. It is quite imperative to move society towards sustainable consumption. As social networking sites are believed to be capable of influencing users’ perspectives, their role in creating sustainable consumption intentions must be explored. This research, thus, explores the impact of Environmental Awareness via Social Networking Sites (SNSs) and Environmental Concerns on Green Product Purchase Intention i.e. sustainable consumption intention. It also strives to uncover reasons for and against the green consumption of millennials. A total of 300 questionnaires were administered to students and young professionals of North Indian Tier-2 cities, out of which 281 were found to be complete and relevant for the study. The data analysis was done using the IBM SPSS Statistics v25 and IBM SPSS Amos v22 to explore the impact of Environmental Awareness via Social Media and Environmental Concerns on Green Product Purchase Intention. The results demonstrate that environmental concern as well as environmental awareness via SNSs have a significant impact on green product purchase intention. The study also highlights environmental sustainability (concern) and personal consciousness as reasons for green consumption and Unavailability is a reason against it regarding millennials. Moreover, the study suggests the tested variables to be considered for theory building or modification of existing ones like the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Technology Acceptance Model, etc.