Pro-Environmental Intentions among Food Festival Attendees: An Application of the Value-Belief-Norm Model

Woo-Hyuk Kim,Kyung-Sook Kim

doi:10.3390/su10113894

Woo-Hyuk Kim, Kyung-Sook Kim

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113894

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Abstract

Although festival organizers have significantly increased their adoption of green practices, there has been relatively little research on the pro-environmental decision-making process in festival settings. Drawing from the value-belief-norm-theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the pro-environmental decision-making processes of attendees of eco-friendly food festivals. A structural analysis of responses collected from 601 surveys revealed that affective triggers and personal norms played critical roles in the development of respondents’ pro-environmental intentions in festival settings. This study provides discussions and implications for research and practices related to green festivals.

Highlights

Part of the complexity of today’s global economy stems from unprecedented population growth and increased burdens on energy, food, and natural resources due to such growth [1,2]
Green practices and other sustainability-oriented efforts have become important in the tourism and hospitality industry, research investigating pro-environmental decision-making processes in the context of festivals remains scant
Our findings revealed that feeling a moral obligation to engage in eco-friendly behavior related the most strongly to having pro-environmental intentions in food festival settings, followed by affective triggers

Summary

Introduction

Part of the complexity of today’s global economy stems from unprecedented population growth and increased burdens on energy, food, and natural resources due to such growth [1,2]. Increased consumption significantly affects environmental stability, and most consumers are aware of their behavioral impact on the environment [3]. In response to such awareness, initiatives promoting sustainability and environmental protection have received considerable attention and begun to shape corporate, consumer, and personal behaviors [4]. Similar to players in the hotel industry [7], the restaurant industry [8], and the convention industry [9], festival organizers have increasingly adopted sustainable practices, known as green practices [10]. Given the increased demand for green practices at festivals, especially food festivals, attendees are increasingly expected to pay higher fees

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