Transforming consumption: The role of values, beliefs, and norms in promoting four types of sustainable behavior

Abstract

This study examines the value based predicting factors of sustainable consumption (SC) behaviors of individuals by examining four types of environmentally significant consumer behavior, that is, purchase, household energy and water usage, mobility, and recycling. A structured questionnaire-based survey was used to collect data and verify the research framework guiding the hypotheses for all four types of consumer behavior. Four separate Structural Equation Models (SEM) were utilized to test the formulated hypotheses and model using the data from 1025 respondents (281 for purchase, 265 for household energy and water use, 273 for mobility, and 206 for recycling) ages 18–74. The results indicate that the extended version of value-belief-norm (VBN) theory could provide a good explanation of the sustainable purchase behaviors of consumers, compared to household energy and water usage, mobility, and recycling. The results of the study suggest that having high levels of biospheric values, ecological worldview, personal norms, behavioral intention, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and low egoistic values have influence on consumers when they make eco-friendly product purchases. Although similar results are found for other examined behaviors, the model fits are not as strong and explanatory powers are lower. This research reveals that marketing managers need to adopt differential marketing strategies to influence consumer sustainable decision-making in the four environmentally significant behaviors of purchase, energy and water usage, mobility, and recycling. This paper concludes with policy implications of the findings for marketers and policymakers, as well as potential directions for further research.