How Social Identity Affects Green Food Purchase Intention: The Serial Mediation Effect of Green Perceived Value and Psychological Distance

Abstract

As the global population continues to grow, the impact of environmental damage and resource depletion has been severely increased. In this context, green food gains tremendous potential as a sustainable solution. This study establishes a model framework around social identity, psychological distance, green perceived value, and purchase intention from the perspective of social identity to explore the impact the social group has on individual green food purchase intention. Data from 497 questionnaires collected in China were validated using SPSS26 and SmartPLS4. The results demonstrated that the model exhibited excellent explanatory power for psychological distance (R2 = 47.5%), green perceived value (R2 = 48.2%), and purchase intention of green food (R2 = 54.7%). Path analysis showed that social identity, psychological distance, and green perceived value significantly positively affected green food purchase intention. The results also show that social identity significantly positively affected psychological distance and green perceived value, while psychological distance has a significant positive influence on green perceived value. Additionally, it is concluded that psychological distance and green perceived value have significant mediating and serial mediating effects on social identity and green food purchase intention. These findings bridge the research gap concerning consumers’ green food purchase intention from a group perspective, thereby offering great insights for the formulation of sustainable policies. Furthermore, the study provides both theoretical and practical implications for the expansion of the green food consumption market.