Impact of Environmental Knowledge on Ecological Consumer Behaviour

Abstract

Concern about environmental deterioration is one of the most relevant problems among consumers in the Spanish context. This is confirmed by the existence of a market segment which demands a responsible commitment of companies towards the environment. In this respect, companies are interested in discovering what they are like and how these consumers act. This paper analyses their environmental behaviour from a three-dimensional attitude approach. Furthermore, we are interested in discovering whether the level of environmental knowledge moderates the relationship between their attitude and their behaviour. A random sample survey of 573 individuals was used to verify the conceptual model and framework. This model was initially assessed by several exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and subsequently by structural equation modelling and multisample analysis. Findings of this study showed that environmental attitudes have a significant effect on ecological behaviour and that the level of environmental knowledge moderates this relationship. This research improves our understanding of how consumers feel and what attitudes best define their environmental behaviour.