The influence of global consumer values and perceived risk factors on green vehicle adoption

Abstract

Marketers of green products face a serious challenge. Surveys show that although consumers around the world care about the environment, often a large gap exists between attitudes and actual sustainable consumption behavior. To address this issue, our study investigates the influence of global consumer values and perceived risk factors on the purchase of green (e.g. hybrid and electric) and non-green vehicles. Automobiles are a vital product category to consumers and countries’ economies, with important implications for business strategy, public policy, and the global economic and ecological environment. This paper begins with a literature review of consumer values and perceived risk factors related to product adoption. Next, we present an exploratory qualitative netnographic analysis of the influence of 5 global consumer values and 6 perceived risk factors on U.S. consumers’ purchase of green and non-green vehicles. Results show that ‘environmental concern’ was not the main motivation for green vehicle purchase; consumers were more influenced by other factors. The findings also revealed similar consumer reasons for the purchase of both environmentally-friendly and non-green vehicles. The study provides worthwhile new insights for the marketing of environmentally-friendly products to help reduce the gap between consumer attitudes and actual green purchase behavior for a more sustainable future.