Pro-environmental Consumer Behavior Research Articles

Modeling the carbon consequences of pro-environmental consumer behavior

Households, as consumers of goods and services through their lifestyles and spending choices, drive environmental change. Using a recent (2008) social and environmental survey of Spanish households, we evaluate the effects of improvements in environmental awareness, and of changes induced by regulations and carbon taxes. We consider these drivers of behavioral change for different income levels. A range of scenarios including the adoption of energy efficient appliances, modal shift to public transport, healthier diets, and the associated carbon emissions and job effects, are estimated using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. Our results suggest that reductions in carbon dioxide, methane, and sulphur dioxide emissions may be compatible with increases in income and reductions in unemployment. Modal shift to public transport is shown as a successful economic and environmental policy.

청소년의 환경체험활동경험, 환경의식 그리고 환경친화적 소비행동의 관계

The purpose of this study was to observe the influence adolescents' environmental experience and environmental consciousness have on the pro-environmental consumption behavior. Also by examining the variable relation, the study scoped out the effectiveness of environmental experience. For the analysis, high school students in Korea were gathered from online and the correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and Baron and Kenny mediation analysis were conducted among a total of 521 surveys. The main findings are as follows: First, adolescents' environmental experience, environmental consciousness and pro-environmental consumption behavior showed a positive relationship. In other words, the more the experience, the more sense of responsibility adolescents had towards the environment and society, leading them to have pro-environmental consumption behavior. Second, environmental experience and environmental consciousness were proven to be essential factors that have influence on the adolescents' pro-environmental consumption behavior. Third, partial mediating effect of environmental consciousness was verified in accordance with the relationship between environmental experience and pro-environmental consumption behaviour. The findings suggest the importance of adolescents' environmental consciousness and improvement of pro-environmental consumption behavior by having students gain environmental experience.

An eco-label effect in the built environment: Performance and comfort effects of labeling a light source environmentally friendly

People tend to idealize eco-labeled products, but can eco-labeling have consequences for performance? To address this question, 48 university students were asked to undertake a color discrimination task adjacent to a desktop lamp that was either labeled “environmentally friendly” or “conventional” (although they were identical). The light of the lamp labeled “environmentally friendly” was rated as more comfortable. Notably, task performance was also better when the lamp was labeled “environmentally friendly”. Individual differences in environmental concern, but not pro-environmental consumer behavior and social desirability indexes, were related to the magnitude of the eco-label effect on performance. Whilst some previous studies have shown similar placebo-like effects of eco-labels on subjective ratings, this is the first study to show an eco-label effect for artifacts in the built environment on performance, and the first study to relate this effect to environmental concern. Psychological mechanisms that may underpin the eco-label effects are discussed.

Determinants of the Proenvironmental Consumption Behavior of Chinese Rural Residents

We examined the influence of Chinese traditional cultural, psychological, and sociological factors on the proenvironmental consumption behavior (PCB) of Chinese rural residents. The results show that Chinese traditional culture (man–nature orientation and collectivism), personal attitudes (environmental cognition and environmental affect), and reference groups had a significant positive influence on proenvironmental consumption intention, which, in turn, increased PCB. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Segmenting Green Consumers in the United States: Implications for Green Marketing

The purpose of the current study was to segment U.S. consumers into four distinct clusters based on their beliefs and motives regarding pro-environmental consumer behavior. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults from Experian Simmons (N = 22,348), this study revealed that: (a) there are four clusters of consumers in the United States with a unique set of beliefs and motives regarding consumer environmentalism; (b) the clusters have distinct demographic and media usage profiles; and (c) the groups have varying responses to the industry's initiatives to protect the environment. Implications of the research are discussed in light of developing message and media strategies for green marketing.

The interrelationship between temporal and environmental orientation and pro‐environmental consumer behaviour

AbstractIt is proposed that consumers fail to make environmentally conscious choices because they do not consider the long‐term impact of their actions. This research examines the role of consumers' temporal orientation (past and future) in regard to their environmental orientation and pro‐environmental consumer behaviour (PECB), using a representative sample of 2566 Australian respondents. The results identify that both future and past orientations are related to environmental orientation, with future orientation leading to increased levels of PECB and past orientation leading to reduced levels of PECB. Further, environmental orientation mediates the relationship between temporal orientation and PECB, suppressing the negative impact of high levels of past orientation.

Interpersonal Influence within Car Buyers' Social Networks: Applying Five Perspectives to Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle Drivers

Although interpersonal influence is thought to play in important role in proenvironmental consumption behavior, mechanisms of influence are not well understood. Through literature review, we identify five theoretical perspectives on interpersonal influence: contagion, conformity, dissemination, translation, and reflexivity. We apply these perspectives to car buyer perceptions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), a technology with attributes that can be perceived as functional, symbolic, private, and societal. The context is a PHEV demonstration project in which 275 interpersonal interactions were elicited from interviews with 40 individuals in 11 different social networks in northern California. Results demonstrate how perspectives shape research findings. Contagion, conformity, and dissemination provide useful concepts regarding perceptions of functional, symbolic and societal PHEV attributes, respectively. However, translation and reflexivity provide language and theoretical depth to describe observed perceptions and motives, while also addressing dynamics in these perceptions and in consumer values. Utilizing these differing perspectives facilitated observation that participants are more amenable to developing new, prosocietal interpretations of PHEVs if they: (i) easily form a basic functional understanding of PHEV technology, (ii) are in a transitional state in their lifestyle practices, and (iii) find supportive prosocietal values within their social network. Results demonstrate the importance of integrating complementary research perspectives to better understand consumer valuation of technologies with environmental benefits.

A cross-cultural analysis of pro-environmental consumer behaviour among seniors

This paper presents the results of a cross-national study into the ecologically conscious consumer behaviour of senior consumers (aged 50+, mean age 64 years) in the UK, Germany, Japan, and Hungary. Using a survey, the study (n = 1275) utilises a modified version of the Ecologically Conscious Consumer Behaviour Scale, in addition to a battery of variables to measure wider ethical purchasing behaviour and sociodemographic characteristics. Findings suggest that there are segments of older consumers in all countries under study who demonstrate ecologically conscious consumer behaviour, and at the same time there are segments that do not. These segments cannot be identified by sociodemographic variables, but do differ in their wider ethical purchasing behaviour. The study is the first of its kind to measure actual ecologically conscious consumer behaviour in the senior market across different nations.

Elucidating Green Consumers: A Cluster Analytic Approach on Proenvironmental Purchase and Curtailment Behaviors

This study used a cluster analytic approach with the purpose of arriving at a nuanced picture of consumers, in relation to green purchase and curtailment behaviors. Based on Swedish car owners' values, beliefs, norms, habits, and personal capabilities, three clusters emerged that were validated using discriminant analysis: non-greens, curtailers, and ecovators. The profiling constructs showed that ecovators (ecological innovators) had the highest levels of green beliefs and were found to be innovators with respect to a high involvement eco-innovation (the alternative fuel vehicle). Marketing and policy implications together with suggestions for further research on proenvironmental consumer behavior are provided.

Packaging and Proenvironmental Consumption Behavior

Understanding proenvironmental consumption behavior may enable companies to establish reputational and competitive advantages. This study generates new insights by analyzing consumer-related factors related to distinct but connected package-related behaviors regarding beverage consumption: purchase and postconsumption disposal. An online survey among 176 German respondents provides empirical support for all but one hypothesis. The results suggest that eco-friendly purchase and disposal decisions for beverages are related to the environmental awareness of consumers and their eco-friendly attitude. Furthermore, consumers are willing to trade off almost all product attributes in favor of environmentally friendly packaging of beverages, except for taste and price. The nonsupported hypothesis pertains to the expectation that believing in the positive effects of own eco-friendly disposal actions will guide ecological disposal behavior. Perceived behavioral control may thus not translate into actual disposal behavior. Underlying this may be the belief that individual actions are not enough to contribute to a greener world.

Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am: Social Labeling as a Social Marketing Tool

In this paper, we present a procedure to apply the social labeling technique as a social marketing tool. With four studies, we tested its potential for the promotion of pro-environmental consumer behavior. The procedure first provokes an environmentally friendly act and, subsequently, invites the target to attribute that behavior to his personal values, by communicating a social label. If successful, consumers will act upon the resulting self-perception as an environmentally friendly person. Results indicated that social labeling is more successful when cognitive resources are distracted, either at the moment of processing the label, or at the moment of making decisions related to the content of the label. Second, we found that the social label not merely guides subsequent decisions, but motivates people to re-interpret their previous behavior.

Information, Incentives, and Proenvironmental Consumer Behavior

The article discusses the factors influencing proenvironmental consumer behaviors and the policy implications of knowledge about these influences. It presents a conceptual framework that emphasizes the determining roles of both personal and contextual factors and especially of their interactions. The practical usefulness of the framework is illustrated by evidence of the interactive effects of information and material incentives – typical interventions in the personal and contextual domains, respectively. The author concludes that incentives and information have different functions, so that efforts focused on only one are sometimes misplaced; however, properly deployed, they can have synergistic effects on behavior. Some policy conclusions are drawn for consumer and environmental policy.