Examining Generation Z’s Attitudes, Behavior and Awareness Regarding Eco-Products: A Bayesian Approach to Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract

The research examines Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) attitudes, behavior and awareness regarding sustainability-oriented products in two European countries, located in the region of Western Balkans, Bosnia–Herzegovina and Serbia. The research deploys generational cohort theory (GCT) and a quantitative analysis of primary data collected through an online questionnaire among 1338 primary, high school and university students, all belonging to Generation Z. It deploys a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) by running both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedures, the latter being suitable for binary variables, which have been deployed in the study. The results of MLCFA provide evidence that there is a statistically significant and relatively strong relation between sustainability and circular economy attitudes (SCEA) and sustainability and circular economy behavior (SCEB), while there is a statistically insignificant and relatively weak relation between sustainability and circular economy behavior (SCEB) and circular economy awareness (CEW). The results of the BCFA, which is based on MCMC procedure, are similar to the results based on a rather commonly used MLCFA procedure. The results also confirm that Gen Z knows more about the companies which recycle products than it does about the CE as a concept, while the vast majority is concerned about the future of the planet and is motivated to learn more about the CE through CE and various awareness-raising measures.