The Role of Pro‐environmental Self‐Identity and Green Stigma in Environmentally Friendly Consumption Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

This study is grounded within the theoretical framework of attitude–behavior–context. The study examines how perceived health risk shapes both health and environmental attitudes, leading to organic food consumption. Further, we also assess the role of perceived effectiveness and green trust in moderating the proposed relationships. The data were collected from 461 consumers through Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. Our findings indicate that consumers' perception of health risk plays a significant role in developing positive environmental and health attitudes. Consequently, this leads consumers to adopt organic food. Further, this study confirms that there is an attitude–behavior gap, as both environmental and health attitudes seem to have a weak Cohen f2 effect on organic food consumption. Though perceived effectiveness moderates the relationship of organic food consumption with perceived health risk and attitude, green trust does not bridge the attitude–behavior gap. This study may help organic food marketers, policy‐makers, and retailers bridge the consumers' attitude–behavior gap.

Public concern for the environment has increased in the past four decades (Kim and Choi 2005), leading to consumer demand for pro-environmental products and services. Research on the drivers of green consumption among Hispanic and other minorities is scarce (Lee 2008), focusing mainly on comparing Hispanics to other demographic groups in terms of environmental worldviews, knowledge or attitudes (e.g., Lynch, 1993; Noe and Snow, 1990; Whittaker et al. 2005). Little is known about whether these attitudes or concerns are translated into actual green consumption; this study intends to bridge that gap. People’s pro-environmental behaviors are often determined by what they know about the environment, how they feel about it, and what commitment they are willing to make (Maloney and Ward 1973). This notion is rooted in the cognition-affect-behavior (CAB) paradigm that has long been central to flow models of consumer behavior. In line with this paradigm, we propose a model that portrays a flow from environmental knowledge, green attitudes, and ecological affect, to green behavioral intent and actual green purchase behavior (Fishbein and Azjen 1975).The literature views increased environmental knowledge as an antecedent to more positive environmental attitudes (Chan 2001), but not necessarily to behavior. Conceptualized as beliefs about the environment (Banerjee and McKeage 1994) and environmental concern (e.g., Alwitt and Pitts 1996; Stone et al. 1995), pro-environmental attitudes were found to be associated with green consumers (Banerjee and McKeage 1994). In line with the CAB paradigm, which views attitudes as predicting affect and, in turn, actual behavior, the proposed model portrays positive relationship between environmental affect and behavior (e.g., Maloney & Ward, 1973; Chan and Lau, 2000). The literature indicates that the attitude-behavior relationship is stronger when the attitude considered is favorability toward performing a specific green behavior as opposed to attitudes toward general environmental issues (e.g., Hines et al. 1987). Additionally, previous studies showed significant positive relationship between ecological behavioral intention and actual behavior (e.g., Li, 1997; Maloney and Ward 1973; Schahn and Holzer, 1990).Survey data were collected from a convenience sample of 425 students of Hispanic ethnicity from a large Southeastern university. The survey included previously validated scales to measure environmental knowledge (Mohr, Eroglu and Ellen’s 1998), environmental attitude (Banerjee and McKeage’s 1994); Kim and Choi’s 2005), environmental affect (Maloney and Ward 1973), attitude toward green purchase (Taylor and Todd 1995), green purchase intention (Li 1997), and green purchase behavior (Kim and Choi 2005). Demographic data were also obtained.A structural equation modeling analysis was performed with modeling results indicating a satisfactory fit (x2 (933) = 1907.66, p < .001, CFI = .90, TLI = .90, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .068). The values of CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR indicated that the proposed model adequately fitted the data. Results revealed that environmental knowledge was positively associated with environmental attitudes (β =.63), which in turn, was positively associated with attitude toward green purchase (β =.83), green purchase intention (β =.29) and green purchase behavior (β =.48). Additionally, environmental attitude was associated with environmental affect (β =.84), that was associated with green purchase intention (β =.44) and green purchase behavior (β =.48).Results confirm that the path between knowledge about the environment and green purchase behavior among young Hispanics is moderated by attitudes and emotional involvement with the issue. It confirms that behavioral intent is an antecedent to actual behavior. This study contributes to the literature on green consumption by examining the moderating effect of emotional involvement and attitude toward purchasing green. The model suggests that environmentally-friendly attitudes lead to green purchase behaviors via two possible paths. One is by activating “eco-affect” or the emotional involvement with environmental issues; the second path is through attitude towards purchasing green products. Although both paths were significant, the path that includes affect was found to be stronger. Results from this study have useful implications for marketers in terms of the type of message appeal that might resonate with the audience. Selecting between emotional appeal and the favorability of purchasing green products would activate different attitude-behavior mechanisms and should not be considered interchangeable.KeywordsEnvironmental AttitudeGreen ConsumptionEnvironmental KnowledgeStructural Equation Modeling AnalysisEmotional InvolvementThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Purpose This study investigates how gamification embedded in branded apps influences the development of green food consumption values. By examining the mediating roles of perceived Playfulness and perceived Usefulness, the research aims to uncover how digital engagement mechanisms can foster enduring pro-environmental values among consumers in the food sector. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was administered to 680 participants with prior experience using gamified branded apps and purchasing green food. Measurement constructs included Gameful Experience (GAMEX), Branded App Engagement, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Playfulness and Green Food Consumption Values. Data were analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) to test both the measurement and structural models. Findings Results demonstrate that gameful experience significantly impacts perceived Playfulness and perceived Usefulness, which in turn enhance branded app engagement. This engagement strongly predicts the internalisation of values related to green food consumption. The model explains 80.6% of the variance in Green Food Consumption Values, highlighting the central role of branded app engagement as a mediator. These findings confirm the multidimensional influence of gamification on cognitive, affective and behavioural outcomes related to sustainability. Originality/value This research highlights the role of gamified branded apps in shaping lasting green consumption values, extending prior studies focused mainly on short-term behavioural outcomes. It provides empirical evidence for the cognitive-affective pathways through which gamification enhances value-based engagement in the context of sustainable food consumption.

Purpose This study aims to provide novel insight into cognitive and emotional factors contributing to green customer citizenship behaviours, as mediated by green attitudes in general and moderated by culture. Design/methodology/approach The investigation was guided by the “value attitude behaviour hierarchy” and green customer emotions, which served as a framework for understanding the mediating effect of attitude on the relationships between cognitive and emotional factors (green consumption values and emotional affinity towards nature) and customer citizenship advocacy and feedback behaviours. Data was obtained from respondents in the USA and South Korea. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, bootstrapping and Wald tests were performed to conclude on the model and verify the moderating effect of culture on the indirect effects established. Findings In both countries, green consumption values and emotional affinity towards nature positively influence green attitudes and stimulate feedback behaviour. Green attitudes only predict advocacy in the USA. Culture moderates the majority of the indirect effects examined. Research limitations/implications The model presents a novel approach to stimulate green advocacy and feedback behaviours and may aid firms in closing the “green gap” and co-create value with customers. Firms could profit from customers advocating the benefits of green purchasing to other customers and providing feedback on interventions required that will convince reluctant customers to make a purchase. Originality/value This study offers a multicultural perspective on the connection between a novel set of cognitive and emotional factors and green customer citizenship advocacy and feedback behaviours that may directly and indirectly influence green purchasing, value co-creation and closing of the “green gap”.

Green consumption dynamics: the power of utilitarian group influence on environmental attitudes and purchases

Purpose Based on studies combining sustainable development competencies and green consumption values, this paper aims to explore the relationship between Generation Z's sustainable development competencies and green consumption values and to determine how sources of sustainable knowledge acquisition moderate this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The data collected from 1,570 students were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings Our research confirms that sustainable development competencies positively and significantly impact Generation Z’s attitudes toward green consumption values. Furthermore, sources of sustainability knowledge acquisition moderate the relationship between sustainability literacy and Generation Z attitudes toward green consumption values. The findings suggest that the acquisition of sustainability knowledge from multiple sources is critical in shaping Generation Z attitudes toward green consumption values. Practical implications The key to increasing attitudes toward green consumption values among Generation Z is to provide access to sources of sustainable development knowledge acquisition. Adequate information support generated by sources of sustainable development knowledge acquisition can help shape attitudes toward green consumption values that translate into appropriate purchasing decisions. Social implications The survey indicates the significance of diversifying sources of sustainable development knowledge. Although the study received results suggest that Generation Z’s sustainable development competencies influence attitudes toward green consumption values, they allow us to note that much greater effects are generated when a variety of sources of sustainable development knowledge acquisition are used. Thus, it is desirable not only to communicate about sustainable development but also to tailor the sources of sustainable development knowledge acquisition to the audience’s expectations are desirable. Originality/value This study analyzes the relationships between sustainable development competencies and green consumption attitudes, thus filling the gap in sustainable development competencies research and broadening its scope. The results indicate the need to change attitudes through the development of competencies that should enable active and responsible participation in sustainability. At the same time, the research shows some links between green consumption and purchasing behavior, suggesting the influence of green consumption values and orientations on sustainable and environmentally friendly consumption.

The relationship between attitude and purchase behaviour is the most explored area of marketing research. Many studies have shown a link between environmental attitude and mobile phone purchasing intentions. Today mobile phones are becoming a medium to express identity and desire like clothing and ornaments. The changing styles of mobile phones based on contemporary trends lead to their perishability, which may adversely affect the environment. Now the question arises, whether consumers who care about the environment can take more responsibility for the environment and conduct environmentally friendly mobile phone shopping behaviour, or whether their environmental attitudes are incompatible with their consumer behaviours. The discrepancy between the consumer's attitudes and actual purchase of eco-friendly products is attributed to the existence of the 'attitude-behaviour gap'. The gap is however being understood poorly and to date no equivocal consent is available. This study examines the role of demographic factors responsible for the emergence of the 'attitude-behaviour gap' with special reference to the young consumers, as they are the segment with adequate purchasing capacity.

This study investigates the determinants of eco-buying behavior by drawing from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and considering green consumption values and prosocial attitudes. Using a cross-sectional survey of 436 adults in the UK and employing a two-step analysis with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA), this research examines both sufficient and necessary conditions for sustainable purchasing behavior. The findings reveal that green consumption values and social influence are positively associated with green buying behavior, with green consumption values exerting the strongest influence. Conversely, prosocial attitudes and perceived behavioral control show no significant direct effects, yet age moderates the relationship between prosocial attitudes and green buying behavior. Moreover, NCA identifies green consumption values and perceived behavioral control as necessary conditions at specific thresholds, underscoring their importance in fostering high levels of green buying behavior. Additionally, a logarithmic relationship is observed between green consumption values and green buying behavior, suggesting diminishing returns at higher levels of green consumption values. Notably, the influence of green consumption values on green buying behavior is stronger among older individuals (35+), highlighting age-based differences in sustainable consumption. By integrating both sufficient and necessary conditions, this research addresses the attitude-behavior gap in sustainable consumption, offering novel insights into the roles of intrinsic values and social influences. These findings challenge established constructs like perceived behavioral control and highlight the relevance of advanced analytical methods in sustainable consumer research. The study contributes theoretical insights and practical implications for sustainable marketing strategies targeting value-driven consumers.

Green consumption values have been shown to motivate consumers to engage in green consumption practices. However, surprisingly little research has examined how green consumption values develop in young people. In the current study, we employed ecological socialization theory as a framework to investigate the process by which parents’ green consumption values shape similar values in their young adolescents. In Study 1, data from 722 Chinese families that included an early adolescent (ages 10 to 15) showed that both mothers’ and fathers’ green consumption values were positively associated with early adolescents’ green consumption values, and this association was mediated by each parent’s environmentally responsible consumption behavior. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1 using two waves of matched parent-adolescent data collected a month apart from another group of 477 Chinese families. Furthermore, Study 2 showed that the mediation process identified in Study 1 was evident only when there was a close parent–child relationship. These findings have implications for cultivating the green consumption values of today’s youth. The results also have heuristic value for future research on the ecological socialization and inter-generational transmission of pro-environmental values.

• This study helps us understand how the consumption values that lead to using a second-hand peer-to-peer platform affect green consumption practices and sustainable resale behavior. • Economic and practical values negatively affect green consumption values and subsequently weaken the consumers’ preparedness to engage in sustainable resale behavior. • Recreational, generative, societal benefit, and protestor values positively influence green consumption values and increase the consumers’ willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior. • Gender moderates the relationship between green consumption values and the consumption values of using a peer-to-peer platform. Past research has extensively studied the antecedents and consequences of consumers’ green consumption values, as well as the psychological mechanisms that underlie an ethical consumer. Yet a frustrating paradox remains, indicated by the consumers’ intention–behavior gap for their sustainable behavior. To address this gap, the present study focuses on the consumption values that lead to using a sharing economy platform. Our study draws on the theory of consumption values and altruistic–egoistic values, as well as spillover effect psychology, to examine associations between context-specific values, green consumption values, and sustainable resale behavior. By collaborating with a Nordic second-hand peer-to-peer platform brand, our findings—obtained from large-scale field data ( n = 3256)—challenge the conventional wisdom by demonstrating that economic and practical values for using the second-hand peer-to-peer platform negatively affect green consumption values and subsequently weaken the consumers’ preparedness to engage in sustainable resale behavior. In contrast, recreational, generative, societal benefit, and protestor values positively influence green consumption values and increase the consumers’ willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Further, such relationships are moderated by gender: stronger effects were identified among female consumers. These findings have important implications for theory and practice.

PurposeCentered on upper echelons theory, this study aims to examine the interplay of US craft brewery owners’ green consumption values, environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity of their craft breweries. In addition, the moderating role of business challenges on the effect of environmental attitudes on environmental proactivity is assessed.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of US craft brewers through the Brewers Association Brew Forum Blog. A total of 237 valid responses were received. Structural equation modeling was used for testing hypothetical relationships among key constructs in the proposed research model: environmental values, environmental involvement, environmental sustainability practices and business challenges.FindingsThe results showed that green consumption values positively and significantly influenced environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity. Findings also confirmed the significant positive influence of environmental attitude on environmental proactivity. Furthermore, business challenges moderated the relationship between owners’ environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity of the breweries such that the higher the extent of business challenges weaker is the relationship between environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity.Originality/valueIt is accepted that upper management’s individual beliefs surrounding environmentalism are a contributing factor to the environmental management policy of their company. However, there is very little empirical evidence to demonstrate the impact that these values have in a tangible sense. To satisfy this deficit in the research, the study aims to analyze the relationship between the brewery owners’ environmental outlook and the sustainability practices of their brewery, regarding the former as a key psychological characteristic, which influences and motivates the direction of the latter.

The EU Ecolabel, established in 1992, aims to promote sustainable consumption, yet a significant gap persists between consumers’ positive environmental attitudes and their actual purchasing behavior of ecolabeled products. This study examines the attitude–behavior gap in EU Ecolabel adoption across Europe, leveraging data from the 2023 Eurobarometer survey with 26,630 valid responses from all EU member states. Using mediation path analysis, the research investigates the factors mediating the relationship between environmental knowledge and purchasing behavior, including environmental attitude, ecolabel trust, and environmental concern. The study applies an integrated theoretical framework combining the Knowledge–Attitude–Behavior model and Attitude–Behavior–Context theory to explain the complexities of consumer behavior towards ecolabeled products. The findings reveal the interplay of direct and indirect effects among ecolabel knowledge, trust, environmental concern, attitude, and buying behavior, while also considering demographic factors’ influence such as age, gender, education level, and residential setting. The research provides a comprehensive cross-country analysis within the EU, offering insights into bridging the attitude–behavior gap and enhancing the adoption of eco-friendly products. The results have significant implications for policymakers, marketers, and researchers in promoting sustainable consumer behavior, improving environmental label effectiveness, and developing targeted interventions to increase ecolabel adoption rates.

It is conceptually and empirically agreed that a positive attitude toward green travel does not necessarily turn into green travel behavior. This is referred as the “attitude–behavior gap.” This study proposes a five-step analysis method to provide a deeper insight into the attitude–behavior gap in the context of green travel, namely to identify and explain the (in)consistency between attitude and green travel behavior by integrating two distinctive yet interrelated approaches. By virtue of the color-coded behavioral perspective, the attitude–behavior gap in green travel is explicitly confirmed, with four types of attitude–behavior interactions being characterized. The moderating role of motivations is then examined and confirmed by exploring the attitude–behavior relationships across groups with differing motivational patterns in relation to travel. It is found that when people are particularly concerned about the benefits provided by transport modes, both negative attitudes toward cars and favorable attitudes toward various transport modes because of their environmental/social benefits would significantly influence their green travel behavior, with effective green travel attitude–behavior consistency achieved. The current results are expected to provide some insights for administrators and operators hoping to promote green transport modes in urban areas.

How national culture and ethics matter in consumers’ green consumption values

This study investigated the psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between green consumption values and green purchasing behaviour amongst undergraduates. Using a two-wave prospective research design, this study surveyed 1198 students from a large university in China. The results showed that students' green consumption values positively related to their green purchasing behaviour, with gratitude serving as a partial mediator. Green product availability moderated both the relationship between gratitude and green purchasing behaviour and the indirect effect of green consumption values on green purchasing behaviour. Notably, when green products were easily accessible, the positive impact of gratitude on purchasing behaviour became weak. Similarly, the indirect effect of gratitude connecting consumption values and purchasing behaviour weakened with increasedgreen product availability. These results offer insights into how and when green consumption values promote undergraduates' green purchasing behaviour, providing important implications for promoting sustainable consumption amongst young people.