Attitude-behaviour Gap Research Articles

Pirate or subscriber? An exploratory study on Italian consumers’ music habits

Purpose of the paper : This paper analyzes Italian consumers’ music habits in terms of online piracy behaviors and their interest toward subscription-based music services (SBMS), i.e. services that for a small monthly fee give users legal access to vast music libraries across multiple devices. The objective is to try and profile a piracy-prone consumer and explore if SBMS could be a viable alternative to online music piracy in Italy, where the general piracy rate is very high. Methodology : The study is based on an empirical quantitative analysis through the collection of 505 questionnaires completed by Italian consumers. Findings : The paper highlights how Italian consumers reflect the ‘attitude-behavior gap’ in music consumption, as they perceive online music piracy as ethically wrong, yet they still show low preference for the legal, reasonably priced choice (such as SBMS). Younger, male, lower education, students have the highest propensity towards online piracy. In addition, consumers’ awareness, familiarity and interest in subscription-based music services are still very low. Research limitations : The limitations of the paper are linked mainly to the adapted scales, to the omission of alternative determinants of attitude towards piracy, to the composition of the sample and for analyzing only two subscription-based music services (Napster and Spotify). Managerial implications : The results call for greater efforts by music industry actors and public institutions to educate Italian consumers about the consequences of their online piracy behavior and the possible solutions offered by SBMS. Originality of the paper : This paper is the first to focus on Italian consumers’ music habits, their attitude and behavior towards online piracy and their interest toward subscription-based music services as a viable alternative.

Exploring the Influence of Sustainability Knowledge and Orientation to Slow Consumption on Fashion Leaders’ Drivers of Fast Fashion Avoidance

This research explores the complex relationship between fashion leaders’ motivations toward slow vs. fast fashion, and proposing that all consumers have the potential to adopt more sustainable consumption behaviors, offers suggestions for sustainable companies aiming to better understand and target these consumers. Fashion leaders are particularly susceptible to overconsumption, yet they are also the most attuned to fashion industry information (e.g., sustainability) and influence others through their tastes and preferences. Proposing that spurring fashion leaders toward slow consumption and away from fast fashion (FF) will prompt the spread of these trends among the broader consumer market, this exploratory study investigates how fashion leaders’ level of sustainability awareness and orientation to slow consumption influence their FF avoidance. Primary data were collected from 405 respondents. Reliability and validity were examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data and parameters were estimated using maximum likelihood method. Empirical results from SEM show that sustainability awareness positively influences orientation to slow consumption yet does not influence the drivers of FF avoidance. The results indicate that consumers’ orientation to slow consumption positively influences many FF avoidance drivers but data also suggest that fashion leaders may not characterize the FF business model as unsustainable and as fueling overconsumption. This study adds to the body of knowledge on highly fashion-involved consumers and their motivations toward sustainable consumption. It offers insight into the pro-environmental attitude-behavior gap and how these consumers reconcile their sustainability knowledge with their consumption desires. Past research has explored the impact of the pro-environmental attitude-behavior gap on consumers’ purchase intentions. However, no empirical studies have been found that concurrently examine consumers’ sustainability awareness, orientation to slow consumption, and their behavioral intention to avoid FF.

There is information in the tails: Outliers in the food safety attitude-behaviour gap

The gap between food safety attitudes and behaviour is well acknowledged. Bridging this gap is critical in controlling food borne illnesses. Understanding the basis for behavioural outliers in food safety practices can be vital for persuading and transforming future unfavourable food safety behaviour(s). However, there appears to be limited insights available on this subject. This study investigates the extent to which Khebab vendors relate with the food safety attitude-behaviour gap hypothesis and whether this gap is stratified by education and training exposure. Employing interviews and non-participant observation, data was collected from 50 vendors in the Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana. The results indicate a significant gap between food safety attitude and behaviour, irrespective of educational status and training. It was also found that home-based food safety socialisation, customer dissatisfaction and associated consequences and egoistic tendencies accounted for outliers.

WHY DO ADOLESCENTS LIE IN THE SUN WHEN THEY KNOW IT IS RISKY? CONTEXTUALIZING THE ’’ATTITUDE-BEHAVIOR’’ GAP AND THE ‘’OPTIMISTIC BIAS’’ AS VERBAL BEHAVIOR

This research used a discursive or behavioral analysis of adolescent females talking about tanning and sun exposure to contextualize two ‘cognitive processes’ (attitude-behavior inconsistencies and the ‘optimistic bias’) in terms of strategic social conversations. Thirty adolescent females demonstrated knowledge of both the risks of sun exposure and appropriate sun protective behavior, even though they were not acting appropriately. Their conversations showed some similar verbal strategies to those of Coupland, Holmes and Coupland (1998) but there were fewer justifications or excuses given for the inconsistencies between attitude and behavior. It was suggested that this was not due to ‘cognitive biases’ but due to the social context of not being prompted by the interviews as in the previous study, and from having friends present who might challenge or laugh at any attempt to justify their attitude-behavior gap. The ‘optimistic bias’ and other parts of their discourse were shown to be due to strategically switching between using either specific cases (usually themselves) or general cases (what is good for ‘society’). The implications and advantages of re-contextualizing ‘cognitive processes’ as observable verbal behaviors are discussed. On a practical level, this research helps us understand why adolescents and others agree or know that there are health risks and yet carry out those risky behaviors.

When is green a purchase motive? Different answers from different selves

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide new ways of thinking about what motivates consumers to choose the green alternative, ideas that will be helpful in reducing the unsatisfactory green attitude-behaviour gap. Consumers have many self-aspects. This paper shows why it is necessary to activate consumers’ pragmatic selves if we want to predict purchase behaviour. The pragmatic self is concerned with costs and reference prices. When researchers activate consumers’ idealistic selves, they get idealistic answers which deviate from actual behaviour. The study also distinguishes between green alternatives with desirable green or non-green self-benefits, and green alternatives with other-benefits that are difficult to comprehend.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a consumer survey and the data is analysed with structural equation modelling. The concept environmental colour is introduced to understand purchase differences between different consumer segments on the market.FindingsThis study shows that consumers buy benefits, which is why dark brown consumers choose the green alternative when it has a competitive advantage. It also shows that the propensity to choose the green alternative is highest among consumers who in addition see green as a benefit and have the habit of buying other green products. Another result is that the green consumers have higher self-awareness than brown consumers and are very cost conscious.Practical implicationsGood decisions are based on what consumers actually do, not what they say they would like to do. This paper offers practical help on understanding consumers’ purchase criteria and how to activate their pragmatic selves. Much more could be done to promote the pro-self and pro-social benefits of making sustainable choices.Social implicationsTo get a sustainable world, it is urgent to understand what motivates consumers to pay extra for environmentally friendly alternatives.Originality/valueThis paper offers new theoretical insights on how researchers can reduce the green gap.

Ethnicity and acculturation of environmental attitudes and behaviors: A cross-cultural study with Brazilians in Canada

The aim of this research is to identify the possible acculturation of sustainable attitudes and behaviors by ethnic groups in a developed country. A descriptive research, qualitative and quantitative in nature, was performed with Brazilians living in Canada. The comparison, through self-assessment, of their current attitudes and behaviors with the attitudes and behaviors they had while living in Brazil revealed that the knowledge and the feelings were already pro-environmental, but the behavior was not, and it really changed after the migration, especially with regard to waste separation and the replacement of plastic bags for their own shopping bags. This result shows that even when there already exists the willingness to adopt sustainable behaviors, the lack of norms, laws and infrastructure influences the attitude-behavior gap.

Narrowing the gap: Factors driving organic food consumption

In the recent years, organic food has gained a great attention from researchers, yet the consumption amount and growth in the market share is relatively low compared to conventional food. The most consistent findings from previous studies have been the inconsistency between consumers' claims and their actual behavior – the so-called intention-behavior or attitude-behavior gap. The majority of past studies focused on investigating the motivational factors to purchase organic food as a proxy to foster organic food consumption. However, it is argued that preceding studies' focus does not readily embrace the consumption itself where purchasing may come secondary to consumption decision/motivation. The objective of this paper is to propose a new approach to determine factors influencing organic food consumption by focusing on those who are consuming and not those considering purchasing organic food. Indeed consumption is a more appropriate measure not confounded with shopping habits. Consumption also reflects high involvement with the product; and the barriers and motivations are as real as the product itself, which makes it an ideal moment to examine the motivation. A model that was developed was tested using the Partial Least Square statistical analysis of an empirical sample of 133 consumers. The results indicated that product-specific attitude (PSA), sensory appeal (SA) and health orientation (HO) had a significant positive influence on individuals’ organic food consumption. The moderating role of future orientation between PSA, HO and consumption were examined and found to be significant. The result suggests that PSA and HO are stronger when future orientation is high. The research provides a significant insight and better understanding of narrowing the attitude-behavior gap. It also adds a new momentum to the growing literature and prior findings on consumer behavior towards organic foods.

Zrównoważona konsumpcja w pułapce: niezgodność postaw i zachowań oraz jej racjonalizacja

The main finding which derives from the research on sustainable consumption discloses that although consumers’ attitudes toward the concept of sustainability are positive, individuals relatively rarely follow sustainability rules in their daily life. This phenomenon called attitude-behavior gap has not been clearly explained. Some authors, relying on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, seek to clarify it through the lens of rationalization techniques. The objective of this article is to describe the phenomenon of attitude-behavior gap as well as to explain the techniques of rationalization and identify them on the example of Polish consumers. This goal is achieved by presenting the results of literature analysis and introducing selected outcomes of qualitative field research.

Re-visiting an old topic with a new approach: the case of ethical clothing

PurposeA recent study by Reimers et al. (2016) suggests that the attitude-behaviour gap, as it applies to ethical clothing, may be due to academics having defined it differently to the way that consumers do. The purpose of this paper is to serve as a direct follow-up to that study by employing their consumer-based definition in order to help identify the clothing attributes that influence the purchase of ethical clothing.Design/methodology/approachA consumer household sample in combination with a quantitative survey approach was used to collect the data, while structural equation modelling was used to analyse it.FindingsIn spite of the ethical clothing context, only two of the four ethical clothing dimensions were found to influence consumer attitudes. In contrast, all three conventional dimensions were found to be significant.Originality/valueEthical clothing has typically been operationalised using just two of these four dimensions. Ironically, one of the two dimensions often overlooked by academics, slow fashion, had one of the strongest influences on consumer attitudes. In addition, the cost of buying ethical clothing has often been defined in unidimensional terms; typically price. This study adopted a broader conceptualisation, defining it in terms of price, time and effort, and found it to serve as a salient influence over consumers’ attitudes to ethical clothing.

Not Walking the Walk: How Dual Attitudes Influence Behavioral Outcomes in Ethical Consumption

Although consumers increasingly claim to demand ethical products and state that they are willing to reward firms that are ethical, studies have highlighted that there is a significant gap between consumers’ explicit attitudes toward ethical products and their actual purchase behavior. This has major implications for firm policies revolving around business ethics. This research contributes to the understanding of the attitude–behavior gap in ethical consumption that literature has identified but not explored much. We utilize the model of dual attitudes as a basis for the arguments presented in the paper and test them. We suggest that the gap in ethical consumerism exists because individuals have implicit as well as explicit attitudes, which are impacted differentially by stimuli and elicit dissimilar behavioral responses and thus have different implications for business ethics policies. Two longitudinal studies are conducted to better understand the impact of an individual’s dual attitudes on preferences and choice. Our findings support the presence of dual attitudes in consumers. Explicit attitudes are found to be easily influenced by the nature of the stimuli. On the other hand, implicit attitudes are relatively unaffected by the nature of the stimuli present and remain relatively constant. Based on the findings, implicit attitudes guide behavior and determine an individual’s preferences. Even though explicit attitudes react to the stimuli presented, our findings suggest they have no impact on the choice of consumers. These findings improve the understanding of ethical consumption, provide a reason as to why the attitude–behavior gap exists, provide a foundation for future researchers and help firms better understand the impact of perceived business on creating a behavioral shift in ethical consumption.

The empowered consumer

The sphere of Consumer Social Responsibilty is of particular relevance considering the increasing environmental problems connected to consumers’ irresponsibility. Nevertheless, even responsible consumers often show a high divergence between attitude and behaviour regarding responsible consumption, the so-called Attitude-Behaviour-Gap. In this context, this article aims to advance the understanding of the social responsibility of consumers and the related Attitude-Behaviour Gap with its influencing factors. The review serves as the basis for a single source, cross-sectional survey which aims to assess the Attitude-Behaviour Gap affecting plastic bag consumption. The study reveals the existence of the gap and a statistically significant impact of various influencing factors. Based on the theoretical and empirical context, it can be concluded that the gap between attitudes towards sustainability and unsustainable behaviour is a crucial and complex area of research, which suggests the need for further and more extensive study.

Happiness, altruism and the Prius effect

PurposeAcademic research and consumer polls often report strong consumer support for environmentally responsible products (ERPs), and yet the proportion of sales they account for is often comparatively small. The purpose of this paper is to address one of the purported reasons behind this “attitude-behaviour gap” by measuring the influence of six relatively untested factors on consumer attitudes towards environmentally responsible clothing (ERC).Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a consumer household sample. It also used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it.FindingsOf the six factors, four were found to have a significant influence on consumer attitudes: altruism, status enhancement, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and happiness.Originality/valueAltruism, environmental concern, PCE and self-identity have consistently featured in other environmental contexts, but less so in the specific context of ERC. Happiness and status enhancement have yet to appear in any study relating to the purchase of ERPs.

Getting Wasted at WOMADelaide: The Effect of Signage on Waste Disposal

In recent years, there has been a rise in environmental consciousness and community awareness of waste disposal issues. However, discrepancies remain between people’s attitude and their behavior regarding waste disposal and recycling; commonly known as the “attitude behavior gap”. This study was designed to aid in bridging this gap by exploring how signage, incorporating psychological principles and effective sign design, can encourage people to correctly dispose of their unwanted materials. The utilization of festivals, mass gatherings and events as spaces to test the impact of pro-environmental messaging on behavior is an emerging field of research. This study investigated the role of signage in aiding attendees of the world music festival WOMADelaide to correctly dispose of their unwanted materials. To complement and support the three-bin system utilized by the waste contractors for the event, four signs were developed and tested in the catering area. These signs included a baseline sign, as well as three motivational signs containing graphics and messages, based on different theoretical positions or psychological principles. The results gained from analyzing the concealed camera footage indicated that the bins under the three motivational signs elicited a greater number of deposits. However, the waste was no better sorted than those located under the baseline sign. The findings of this study support previous research into the “attitude behavior gap” and highlight areas for future research into signage in a festival setting.

Consumers' Attitude in Green Purchasing

Although consumers seem to attach great importance to sustainability and even demand companies to produce their products in an environmental friendly way, consumers’ green purchasing behavior lags far behind; an attitude-behavior gap exists. In addition, young consumers are the ones that could and should make the difference in green purchasing behavior in the future. The present study investigates how the attitude-behavior gap among young consumers can be minimized for that two studies were conducted. Results show that an attitude-behavior gap only exists between the attitude towards sustainability and een purchasing behavior, but not when it concerns the attitude towards green products and the attitude towards purchasing een products. The factors which positively influence the attitude-behavior relation are: consumer awareness, receiving health benefits, willingness to pay price premium, subjective norm, perceived consumer effectiveness, perceived motivation of the organization, availability of products, willingness to spend the shopping time on purchasing green products and receiving local community benefits and lastly the perceived price of green products negatively influences the attitude behavior relation. The present study contributes to the understanding of the attitude-behavior relation in young consumers’ green purchasing behavior and shows that this relation is complex. However, the attitude-behavior relation can be strengthened by communication efforts. Practical implications and future research suggestions are discussed.

The attitude-behavior gap of ethical consumers: From the perspective of construal level

The attitude-behavior gap of ethical consumers: From the perspective of construal level

Staging luxury experiences for understanding sustainable fashion consumption: A balance theory application

Increasingly, sustainable fashion products consumption (SFPC) receives attention from both academic scholars and practitioners. While fashion consumers profess concerns about sustainability issues, the extant literature demonstrates a gap between such concerns and actual consumption decisions and behaviors. This study illustrates how marketers can encourage contemporary consumers to become strongly oriented toward sustainable fashion product consumption (SFPC). Heider's balance theory and consumer luxury brand experiences explain and reveal how a state of psychological imbalance causes the attitude–behavior gap between sustainable fashion and SFPC behaviors. This report includes new propositions explaining SFPC that receive support via focus group interviews and direct observations and post-behavior interviews of staged shopping trips— each participant was given money (approx. USD $180) to spend in the two eco-fashion stores. Developing and staging memorable consumer-centered experiences that orient consumers toward SFPC encourages the consumers achieving desired balance states.

Why aren’t we taking action? Psychological barriers to climate-positive food choices

The environmental attitude-behavior gap has been extensively studied, but no research has examined a wide range of barriers to climate change mitigation. Inspired by Gifford’s (2011) seven categories of psychological barriers to climate change mitigation and adaptation, we examined the role of 36 barriers on climate-positive food-choice intentions. Of the 36, 29 were significantly related to weaker intentions. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the barriers cluster into four factors (Denial, Interpersonal Influences, Conflicting Goals and Aspirations, and Tokenism). Confirmatory factor analysis validated both the four-factor model and the rational seven-factor model proposed earlier. All factors except Interpersonal Influence are related to fewer food-choice intentions, illustrating the value of understanding psychological barriers for pro-environmental intentions.

The influence of eco-label knowledge and trust on pro-environmental consumer behaviour in an emerging market

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the negative environmental implications of purchasing goods, which in turn shape their behaviour. Yet, there are indications that consumers do not always act on these concerns, causing an attitude–behaviour gap. For consumers to make ecologically responsible purchases, they need relevant product environmental information. Therefore, marketers and firms are increasingly integrating more detailed environmental information in their offerings, including eco-labels with externally validated information. This study integrates consumers’ knowledge and trust in eco-labels with their environmental knowledge to determine how these affect pro-environmental consumer behaviour (PECB). The findings suggest environmental and eco-label knowledge is positively associated with attitudes towards the environment, and that positive environmental attitudes and trust in eco-labels affect PECB. This implies that firms, policy-makers and accreditation organisations (i.e. labelling) can educate consumers about eco-labels and the environment to increase PECB. Such strategies will also build consumer knowledge and trust in eco-labels, necessary for facilitating PECB.

The connection between environmental attitude–behavior gap and other individual inconsistencies: a call for strengthening self-control

ABSTRACTWhat is going on with environmental education, which is currently unable to promote pro-environmental behaviors as effectively as it promotes pro-environmental attitudes? A tentative answer is that the environmental attitude–behavior gap observed in some individuals is just one manifestation of their lack of self-control for maintaining consistency in many life spheres. In the absence of prior empirical evidence, intuition suggests that the environmental attitude–behavior gap does not appear isolated but rather interconnected to other individual inconsistencies, while a rational approach suggests that self-control (i.e. capacity to perform consistent actions) plays an important role in explaining the environmental attitude–behavior gap within the framework of the theory of planned behavior. Using data collected in Spain, we found that four individual inconsistencies (concerning fast food, alcoholic beverages, pre-cooked meals, and diet products) made an important contribution to the explanation of the environmental attitude–behavior gap, revealing a remarkable connection between personal and environmental health care. These findings suggest the importance of focusing education efforts on strengthening students’ self-control in order to make them more capable of being consistent in all life endeavors.

The academic conceptualisation of ethical clothing

Purpose Despite supposed widespread consumer support for ethical clothing, it still often fails to translate into actual purchase. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the way in which academics have defined and measured ethical clothing could account for this. Design/methodology/approach An over reliance on convenience sampling and the use of student samples has also been touted as a possible reason for this attitude-behaviour gap. To address this, this study employed a consumer household sample. It also used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it. Findings In contrast to the way in which academics have conceptualised the construct, consumer perceptions of ethical clothing were found to be influenced by four dimensions: environmental responsibility, employee welfare, animal welfare and slow fashion attributes. Originality/value Ethical clothing has typically been operationalised using just two of these four dimensions. Ironically, one of the two dimensions often overlooked by academics – animal welfare – had the strongest influence on consumer perceptions. Previous academic efforts had never employed more than three dimensions, and yet the results of this study suggest that all four must be present if an item of clothing is to be regarded as “ethical”.