Pro-environmental Consumer Behavior Research Articles

Eco-consciousness to eco-consumption: unraveling the drivers of sustainable consumption behavior under the mediated-moderated Model.

The impact of climate change has malformed the world's ecosystem, thus making humans call for environmental protection. Climate change, the biggest trauma of the twenty-first century, has made humans switch towards natural consumption. In this regard, the growing phenomenon of industrialization has spurred consumers to invest more in ecological products. Consuming eco-friendly products has several benefits; however, countries are still unable to satisfy the consumer's concern for the environment. The current study presents literature on environmental concerns, psychological well-being, willingness to pay for pro-environmental products, pro-environmental self-identity, and pro-environmental consumer behavior, which are required to ensure the consumer's organic behavior. The research used a questionnaire-driven methodology to gather data from 379 participants. Data analysis was conducted using statistical software packages, specifically SPSS (Version: 4.1.0.0). The suitability of the measurement model was evaluated through structural equation modeling (SEM), which was performed utilizing the SmartPLS. According to the research findings, there is a positive relationship between variables in the study, and individuals with greater levels of psychological well-being are more likely to engage in behaviors that promote sustainable consumption. In order to foster more sustainable consumption patterns in society, policymakers, marketers, and educators may find these findings to be valuable insights. As a result of its empirical exploration of these relationships, the study contributes to the growing body of literature on environmental psychology and sustainable marketing, emphasizing the important role psychological factors play in promoting a greener environment.

Towards sustainable consumption: Factors influencing energy-efficient appliance adoption in haze-affected environments

Global-scale energy use has contributed to worldwide environmental issues, including climate change, global warming, and air and haze pollution. Home appliances are commonly used products that consume a lot of energy. This study aims to empirically assess the factors that lead to pro-environmental consumer behavior in households under the influence of haze pollution. The relationship among the variables of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, purchase intention, and purchase behavior), the norm activation model (NAM) (ascription of responsibility, awareness of consequences, personal norms), and additional psychological variables such as green trust and environmental concern has been examined. In addition, the moderating role of herd mentality on consumer purchasing has also been assessed. A non-probability-based purposive sampling technique has been employed to gather data from 429 respondents. The results from PLS-SEM show that haze pollution stimulates the usage of energy-saving appliances. Environmental concern positively affects consumers' intentions to purchase energy-efficient household appliances, and green trust positively influences environmental concern. Subjective norms, attitudes, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental concern shape purchase intention. Personal norms are influenced by the awareness of consequences and the ascription of responsibility. The influence of these factors on consumers' pro-environmental behavior is evident in purchasing energy-efficient household appliances to minimize haze and mitigate associated environmental issues. This study proposes strategies to persuade individuals to purchase energy-efficient household equipment based on the empirical findings.

How karmic beliefs and beliefs in a just world interact to trigger consumer’s pro-environmental consumption behavior: does gender matter?

PurposeLittle is known about how religious-related beliefs (i.e. karmic beliefs and beliefs in a just world) might affect consumers to engage in more environmentally friendly behavior. Drawing on the justice motive theory, this study aims to explore the individual, complementary, congruent and incongruent impacts of karmic beliefs and belief in a just world on consumers’ proenvironmental consumption.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 736 consumers was recruited by means of a mall-intercept survey in the most populus cities in Vietnam. An advanced technique – polynomial regression with response surface analysis – was used to test the hypothesized model, whereas the PROCESS macro approach was used to estimate indirect effects.FindingsThe findings indicate that while karmic beliefs do not directly affect proenvironmental consumption, they can inspire environmentally friendly behaviors through belief in a just world. High levels of both beliefs enhance proenvironmental consumption, but imbalanced levels erode such behaviors. Importantly, the findings revealed gender differences concerning the role of religious beliefs in influencing proenvironmental consumption among male and female consumers.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study offered several theoretical and managerial implications for proenvironmental consumption.Originality/valueThe research provides new insights into how religious beliefs (karmic beliefs and belief in a just world) affect, interact, balance and imbalance with each other to trigger proenvironmental consumption. The research also contributes to the sustainable consumption literature by indicating the mediation roles of belief in a just world and proenvironmental consumption intention in the relationship between beliefs in karma and actual proenvironmental consumption behavior, as well as offering empirical evidence about the gender differences regarding these relationships.

Pro-environment consumer behaviour and electric vehicle adoptions: a comparative regional meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Numerous studies have explored the relationship between the environment and the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs); however, a consensus has not been reached among empirical findings. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive meta-regression analysis by synthesizing and scrutinizing data from existing literature to identify potential sources of heterogeneity among effect sizes in individual studies. To achieve this goal, we collected 429 estimates from 65 previously published studies spanning the period from 1998 to 2021. We investigate the connection between pro-environmental consumer behaviour and EV adoption at the aggregate level and compare this relationship across three distinct regions: North America, Western Europe, and emerging markets. Our research employs advanced empirical techniques, including Bayesian model averaging, frequentist model averaging, and weighted average least squares. The outcome of our analysis reveals a positive, albeit relatively weak synthesized effect of environmental factors on EV adoption. Notably, our meta-analysis findings indicate that the impact of environmental concerns on EV adoption varies significantly depending on the specific type of EV being considered. Consumers prefer versatile hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles due to fuel flexibility, especially in areas where battery electric vehicle charging infrastructure is scarce.

Chinese urban consumers' experience and consumption behavior with edible non-wood forest products

Consumers globally have a long history engaging with edible non-wood forest products in both rural and urban settings, and involving diverse consumption practices. While edible non-wood forest products offer critical provisioning and cultural ecosystem services, current literature primarily emphasizes the conventional economic significance in rural areas, neglecting urban consumption patterns. This thesis aims to investigate the forms and drivers behind urban consumers’ experience and consumption behavior with edible non-wood forest products in the regional Chinese market. It explores urban consumer behavior around three key aspects: consumer purchasing, foraging, and pro-environmental consumption behavior of wild/cultivated non-wood forest products. Building upon the theoretical background of ecosystem services and the Motivation–Opportunity–Ability model, supported by the Theory of Planned Behavior model, this thesis lays out a conceptual framework of the driving factors of the consumption behavior. A mixed methods approach was employed methodologically, including the logistic regression analysis, a qualitative thematic analysis, and the structural equation model. The findings reported in three articles I-III reveal diverse patterns in urban consumer consumption behavior concerning edible non-wood forest products, emphasizing the urban-rural nexus around these products. Motivation, opportunities, and abilities emerge as key drivers of consumption behavior. Pragmatism and sustainability dominate self-consumption purchases for tea, while Chinese mianzi and renqing motives prevail in gift-giving (I). A greater diversity of motivation exists in berry-picking, particularly among younger urban families (II). Social norms and culture are influential in shaping consumer attitudes (I, II, III). High-quality product availabilities, convenience, services, and social media marketing channels offered by producers and distributors constitute vital consumption opportunities (II, III). Additional actors such as local networks will be supportive (II). Personal knowledge and consumer habits also shape consumption behavior (III). These findings provide managerial implications for farmers, marketers, and policy makers, encouraging further research in this area.

Environmental Policies and the Promotion of Pro-Environmental Consumer Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review

Governments and policymakers play a crucial role in promoting consumer behaviors to mitigate climate change. The research on environmental policies over the past decades has not significantly increased knowledge regarding how effectively these policies help consumers embrace pro-environmental behaviors. Using the motivation–opportunity–ability (MOA) framework, this systematic review reveals that regulatory policies that constrain opportunities are more likely to promote pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, economic policy instruments that facilitate opportunities are also more likely to promote pro-environmental behaviors. Despite being more commonly employed, informational policy instruments are less effective than regulatory and economic instruments. Although informational policy instruments that target opportunities instead of motivations and abilities can result in better outcomes, behavior change remains a challenge. This systematic review is significant because it clarifies mixed results in the literature regarding the effectiveness of environmental policies in promoting pro-environmental behaviors. Accordingly, a framework of MOA-based policy mix is proposed to help policymakers develop effective instruments that stimulate pro-environmental behaviors.

Effects of Individualism, Collectivism, Materialism, and Willingness to Pay for Environmental Protection on Environmental Consciousness and Pro-Environmental Consumption Behavior in Korea

Environmental consciousness is linked to pro-environmental consumption behavior; however, the consequences of variations in the level of environmental consciousness have not been fully investigated. Therefore, we evaluated differences in individualism, collectivism, materialism, willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental protection, and pro-environmental consumption between groups with varying levels of environmental consciousness. After evaluating the factors that differentiate these groups, we identified the determinants of pro-environmental consumption for each group. For the study, an online survey was conducted, including 472 adults aged 20–69 years. Groups with low and high levels of environmental consciousness differed significantly with respect to all factors except individualism. The group with a high environmental consciousness exhibited higher collectivism, WTP for environmental protection, and pro-environmental consumption behavior, and lower materialism than the group with a low environmental consciousness. For the group with low environmental consciousness, collectivism was the main factor affecting pro-environmental consumption behavior (i.e., purchase, use, and disposal). In the group with high environmental consciousness, WTP for environmental protection and collectivism were the main determinants of pro-environmental consumption behavior. These results provide a basis for a systematic approach to improve pro-environmental consumption behavior based on environmental consciousness.

Antecedents and Consequences of Customers’ Engagement with Pro-Environmental Consumption-Related Content on Social Media

Social media has been widely used to design and publish pro-environment campaigns; the goal is to spread awareness about environmental issues and explain how customers can change their consumption behavior to protect the environment. Customers’ engagement with pro-environmental campaigns (CEPC) on social media is crucial to achieving these objectives. Limited studies have examined the factors that could increase CEPC, and its effects, on pro-environmental consumption behavior. The available literature suggests the antecedents of social media engagement, but is restricted to brands/products. Based on these findings, this study explores the effects of advertising attractiveness, advertising-based skepticism, online interaction propensity, and privacy concerns on CEPC. This study also suggests that customers’ engagement with pro-environmental consumption-related content can be defined as a pro-environmental experience that could lead to pro-environmental consumption. The study was based on a sample of 262 responses from online users; the results indicated that CEPC is largely affected by advertising attractiveness, advertising skepticism, and online interaction propensity. The study further established that pro-environment consumption is a potential outcome of CPEC. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into ways in which activist groups can inspire consumers to engage with pro-environment content and exploring whether that engagement translates into a pro-environment intention.

Consumer intentions to reduce food waste in all-you-can-eat restaurants based on personal norm activation

Norm activation theory (NAT) is a theoretical foundation often used by academics to explain behavioral intention in the context of pro-environmental consumer behavior. This research aimed to analyze the essential role of NAT in ascertaining consumer intentions to reduce food waste based on social marketing. The unit of analysis was an individual, namely consumers who have visited an "all-you-can-eat" restaurant in the last month during the research time and intend to visit again in the future. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire instrument which was created and distributed online. Furthermore, the Likert scaling technique with five answer options was used to measure each item of the latent variable measurement. This research used purposive sampling with a size of 500 respondents, and the quality of the measurement was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. The covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to test the hypotheses. The results showed that personal norm as the core of NAT can be active when consumers feel they are responsible for the negative impacts of food waste. Active personal norm has a significant effect on behavioral intentions and the formation of consumer intentions to reduce food waste. Contextually, the implementation of NAT to reduce food waste with a focus on the social marketing approach is the essential originality of this research. Further research will be more comprehensive if it involves actual behavioral factors as a translation of intentions.

The Grass is Not Always Greener on the Other Side: The Impact of Environmental Campaigns on Green Purchasing Behavior

As a developing country, we confront several environmental challenges. The country's environmental worth lags well behind that of wealthy countries. Nonetheless, the governments have recently paid attention to environmental issues. Aside from that, individuals display a proactive attitude regarding the importance of environmental protection efforts due to severe environmental challenges. This research article investigates the impact of the governmental environmental campaign on green purchasing behaviour in a developing country. The structural equation modelling analysis outcomes show that environmental campaigns for green awareness influence green purchasing behaviour through the green attitude, perceived behavioural control, and subjective green norms. The relationships discovered in this study provide practitioners with insight into understanding and stimulating pro-environmental consumer behaviour knowledge in developing countries. Scholars of environmental management will benefit from the study's novel comprehensive approach to analysing sustainable consumption trends and motivating its population to take action to preserve their environment. Practitioners may find our findings helpful in developing strategies to influence consumer attitudes and behaviour toward sustainable products in developing countries.

가정 내 음식물쓰레기 감축 행동 결정 요인에 대한 연구

As the problem of environmental pollution and resource misuse caused by food supply chain has emerged, households’ food consumption behavior has increasingly gained attention. While research on pro-environmental consumption behavior has actively conducted, there are few domestic studies have focused on household food waste behavior. Thus this study aims to analyze the effects of domestic consumers’ intention to reduce food waste(IRFW) and shopping habits on food waste reduction behavior(FWRB) using the theory of planned behavior. For the study, an empirical analysis was conducted based on 275 valid questionnaire answers. SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0 were used to analyze the reliability and validity of the collected data and to perform hypothesis verification. The research results are as follows. First, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control had a significant positive effect on IRFW. Second, it was found that IRFW had a significant positive effect on FWRB. Third, it was found that attitude and perceived behavioral control had a significant positive effect on shopping habits. Fourth, shopping habits had a significant positive effect on FWRB. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that IRFW and shopping habits can lead to the practice of FWRB. Therefore, social campaigns and educational policy proposals that can promote FWRB at home to improve environmental problems were presented in the conclusion.

How normative appeals influence pro-environmental behavior: The role of individualism and collectivism

The relationship between social norms and pro-environmental consumer behavior is well established, but what moderates this norm-sustainability relationship is much less clear. Previous studies reported inconclusive results regarding the effects of culture. This paper aims to shed light on the reported discrepancies by conducting an in-depth investigation on the effect of two central cultural dimensions, individualism, and collectivism, both on a macro (national culture) and a micro (individual self-construal) level. Specifically, the normative influence on pro-environmental behavioral intentions is analyzed for two different countries, the US and China, and insights are provided into the importance of descriptive and injunctive normative appeals in relation to the activated self-construal level. The quantitative results confirm that injunctive and descriptive normative appeals are stronger motivators of pro-environmental behavioral intentions in collectivistic (e.g., China) than in individualistic (e.g., the US) cultures. To clarify the discrepancies in previous research on norm-sustainability, how the effect of injunctive and descriptive normative appeals changes depending on the activated selfconstrual level in different cultures is demonstrated. The findings from this study are important from a theoretical perspective in that they improve the understanding of the effects of social norms on pro-environmental behavior. From a managerial perspective, it is demonstrated how individualism and collectivism on the one hand, and selfconstrual on the other hand, separately and in combination, can strengthen the effect of normative appeals on pro-environmental behavioral intentions. In conclusion, the study also identifies some promising new research avenues.

PERSONAL NORM AND PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: AN APPLICATION OF NORM ACTIVATION THEORY

Manuscript type: Research Article Research Aims: This study aims to fill the research gap from previous research regarding personal norms in explaining pro-environmental behavior, which does not involve awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility as antecedents to activate personal norms. Therefore, this study tries to examine personal norms based on norm activation theory in explaining behavior. Design/methodology/approach: The final sample size is 300 respondents selected through purposive sampling technique. Primary data is collected through a closed-end questionnaire. Data analysis consists of two stages, namely the confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model. Research Findings: Awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility significantly form a personal norm as a core factor of the norm activation theory. Consumers feel that they have a moral obligation concerning the environment. Active personal norm, successfully forming both intention and actual behavior in the context of sorting out waste. In the downstream stage of consumer behavior, it will lead to becoming pro-environmental consumer behavior based on altruistic values . Theoretical Contribution/Originality: Personal norm is proven to be activated by awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility. Active personal norm will lead to affect behavior, with or without being preceded by intention. Practitioner/Policy Implication: Social marketers can encourage consumers to behave pro-environmentally by activating the personal norm from their target audience first. Research limitation/Implications: This study was conducted in a cross-sectional period. Therefore, future studies will be more robust if the actual behavior is measured in a longitudinal period.

The Pandemic of Productivity: A Narrative Inquiry into the Value of Leisure Time

This study explored narratives derived from in-depth interviews to demonstrate how an increase in leisure time could positively affect both our subjective well-being, through a better balance of work and “self”, and the environment, through a change in consumption practices. Firstly, the analysis of the interviews provided insight into the social function of work. Work creates feelings of connection and belonging; however, it can also create the opposite, negatively affecting our experience of leisure time, our productivity, and our well-being. Participants described how paid work provided structure and routine, which resulted in an increased feeling of subjective well-being. However, a lack of structure and routine during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected feelings of “usefulness” and “productivity”. Secondly, an increase in leisure time created more opportunities for autonomy, leading to more unforced leisure activities and a better balance between work and self. Moreover, an increase in autonomy could be achieved through both increased work flexibility and a shorter working week. Lastly, this study aimed to demonstrate that more leisure time during lockdown periods can change how we spend our free time, therefore resulting in more pro-environmental consumer behaviour. This study intended to contribute to a gap in the literature: effects of leisure time on the balance between work and the “self”. The research setting offered limited opportunities for researching intentional, sustainable consumer behaviour, which provides an opportunity for further research.

Rationalizing Inconsistent Consumer Behavior. Understanding Pathways That Lead to Negative Spillover of Pro-environmental Behaviors in Daily Life.

Ideally, pro-environmental consumer behavior leads to a lower impact on the environment. However, due to negative behavioral spillovers environmentally friendly behavior could lead to an overall higher environmental impact if subsequent environmentally unfriendly behavior occurs. In this exploratory interview study we focused on two pathways leading to negative spillover: a psychological path (perceived effort, moral licensing) and an economic path (rebound effects). We wanted to gain insight into people’s motivations to behave environmentally unfriendly and to explore people’s level of awareness of both pathways. Our results indicate that pro-environmental behaviors that are associated with higher effort are performed less frequently, and that when people do not perform these behaviors they associate them with higher effort levels. When people perceive behaviors as more effortful they increasingly seem to use arguments to motivate and rationalize why performing the behavior is difficult or impossible. Moreover, we found that although some people can imagine that moral licensing and rebound effects could occur and can provide examples from their own lives, most people assess these concepts as not rational. People seem unaware of the relation between a first pro-environmental behavior (PEB) and a subsequent behavior, and therefore inconsistencies in behavior go unnoticed. As people are good at rationalizing why they do not perform specific PEBs, they in general feel satisfied with their own pro-environmental actions. In order to discourage negative spillovers, we describe a number of approaches and research ideas aimed at taking away the grounds for rationalization.

The Impact of Social Norms on Pro-Environmental Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review of The Role of Culture and Self-Construal

This paper documents state-of-the-art research on the impact of social norms on pro-environmental consumer behavior. Our aim was to identify possible research gaps, in particular in terms of the moderating role of culture and self-construal, and to suggest potentially fruitful research avenues. To achieve these objectives, we conducted a systematic review of the literature on the impact of social norms on sustainability over the past 20 years, placing emphasis on the role of culture and self-construal. Altogether, we collected over 16,000 papers via Web of Science and subsequently used NVivo 12 for a fine-grained qualitative analysis. Our findings provide several new insights. First, we identified the most popular research areas, top journals and leading authors in the field of social norms and pro-environmental sustainability. Second, we pinpointed the most popular research topics in the context of the norm–sustainability relationship. Third, we revealed how culture and self-construal have been addressed when researching the connection between social norms and pro-environmental behavior, identified managerial implications, and offered future research directions on the moderating effects of culture and self-construal.

50 Shades of Green: Insights into Personal Values and Worldviews as Drivers of Green Purchasing Intention, Behaviour, and Experience

Despite the booming interest in determinants of green (i.e., sustainable) consumption, the psychological factors that influence pro-environmental consumption patterns are not yet fully understood. To answer this call, we developed and analysed a model that offers an integrative approach to sustainable consumption patterns by addressing the full palette of consumers’ personal value orientations. Specifically, we linked consumers’ egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric values at the personal level to pro-environmental purchasing intentions, behaviours, and experiences. Furthermore, we examined whether implicit beliefs about the balance between humanity and nature (i.e., worldviews) moderate these relationships. To support the theoretical propositions in our model, we drew on the key premises of the theory of planned behaviour. Data from 291 Polish respondents were analysed by using multiple linear regression analysis, and the moderating effect of worldviews was investigated with simple slope analysis. While controlling for cultural values, the findings show that personal values, specifically biospheric values, predict sustainable consumer patterns and that consumers’ worldview moderates this relationship. Our study offers a novel holistic approach to analyse sustainable consumption patterns, which will assist environmental management scholars and practitioners who seek to understand and stimulate pro-environmental consumer behaviour. Our findings may help practitioners to develop strategies to influence consumer intentions and behaviours concerning green products.

PERSONAL NORM AND PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: AN APPLICATION OF NORM ACTIVATION THEORY

Manuscript type: Research paper Research Aims: This study aims to fill the research gap from previous research regarding personal norms in explaining pro-environmental behavior, which does not involve awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility as antecedents to activate personal norms. Therefore, this study tries to examine personal norms based on norm activation theory in explaining behavior. Design/methodology/approach: The final sample size is 300 respondents selected through purposive sampling technique. Primary data is collected through a closed-end questionnaire. Data analysis consists of two stages, namely the confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model. Research Findings: Awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility significantly form a personal norm as a core factor of the norm activation theory. Consumers feel that they have a moral obligation concerning the environment. Active personal norm, successfully forming both intention and actual behavior in the context of sorting out waste. In the downstream stage of consumer behavior, it will lead to becoming pro-environmental consumer behavior based on altruistic values. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: Personal norm is proven to be activated by awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility. Active personal norm will lead to affect behavior, with or without being preceded by intention. Practitioner/Policy Implication: Social marketers can encourage consumers to behave proenvironmentally by activating the personal norm from their target audience first. Research limitation/Implications: This study was conducted in a cross-sectional period. Therefore, future studies will be more robust if the actual behavior is measured in a longitudinal period.

Imagining a sustainable world: Measuring cognitive alternatives to the environmental status quo

We build on social identity models of environmental collective action by developing the Environmental Cognitive Alternatives Scale (ECAS), which measures the ability to imagine what a sustainable relationship between humans and the rest of nature might look like. In Study 1 (N = 386), we developed the initial scale, and found evidence for its construct validity. The ECAS was associated with other relevant social identity theory variables—perceived (il)legitimacy and (in)stability of the current environmental status quo and engagement in environmental collective action, as well as with other environmental variables including pro-environmental consumer behavior and beliefs about anthropogenic climate change. In Study 2 (N = 393), we confirmed the factor structure of the ECAS, found additional evidence for its construct validity, and found that it was a strong predictor of environmental activist identification, explaining variance beyond extensive control variables including identification with nature, perceived (in)stability and (il)legitimacy, and beliefs about anthropogenic climate change. It also explained additional variance in willingness to engage in environmental collective action behavior beyond even environmental activist identification. Our results suggest that the ability to imagine cognitive alternatives to the environmental status quo might have important implications for whether people engage in pro-environmental collective action to mitigate climate-change and other environmental problems.

중국 소비자의 환경의식, 물질주의, 공감이 친환경 소비행동에 미치는 영향

중국 소비자의 환경의식, 물질주의, 공감이 친환경 소비행동에 미치는 영향