Positive spillover of consumers’ sustainable behaviors: The mediating role of self-determination need satisfaction

Abstract

Despite the importance of positive spillover effect for shaping sustainable consumption behaviors, it is still unclear that how one pro-environmental behavior led to the subsequent pro-environmental behavior. This study explored the relationship between pro-environmental preference and consumers' eco-friendly behavior intentions, and how self-determination need satisfaction, that is, need satisfaction for competence, relatedness, and autonomy mediated the relationship. In this study, we empirically examined the theoretical model utilizing the online survey data of 346 participants in China. The results showed that competence need satisfaction, relatedness need satisfaction, and autonomy need satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between pro-environmental preference and consumers' eco-friendly behavior intentions. The results demonstrated that self-determination theory plays a key role in explaining the psychological needs for consumers to transform pro-environmental preference into eco-friendly behavior intentions. The conclusion is that self-determination theory provides both theoretical and policy-oriented insights into fostering more sustainable behaviors by meeting individuals’ innate psychological needs.