Feelings of guilt and pride: Consumer intention to buy LED lights.

Abstract

The adoption of energy-efficient lighting systems such as light-emitting diode (LED) lights is an effective strategy to address global warming and climate change. The adoption of LED light usage is largely shaped by consumer behavior. Understanding the factors that influence consumers’ awareness of the advantages of using LED lights and consumers’ eventual buying behavior is critical to industry players and policy-makers. The objective of this study is to investigate the significant factors that affect consumer intention to use LED lights among Malaysian households. A survey questionnaire of 1,075 potential consumers was employed and the partial least squares technique was applied in data analysis. The results show that consumer awareness creates responsibility and influences consumers’ personal norms and attitudes, and their ultimate intention to buy LED lights. Feelings of guilt about contributing to air pollution and an awareness of the advantages of using LED lights both activate individual personal norms and attitudes, and influence the intention to buy LED lights. Awareness of the advantages of using LED lights, and of the negative consequences of not using them, prompts consumers to have feelings of guilt. The findings point to the importance of creating awareness among consumers.