The present research attempts to understand the young consumers' intention toward buying green products in a developing nation; India. The study has used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as its ...theoretical framework and further attempted to extend the TPB by incorporating additional constructs (environmental concern & environmental knowledge) in it. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire survey and analyzed with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM). The finding reported the usefulness of TPB in predicting young consumers' intention towards purchasing green products. The result also supported the applicability of including additional constructs in TPB, as it has improved the predictive utility of the proposed model (from 27.1% to 37.7%). At the end, the implications for policy makers and scope for further research have been discussed.
•Findings supported the applicability of TPB in predicting green purchase intention.•Additional constructs (environmental concern & knowledge) were included in TPB.•The study supported the inclusion of additional construct in the TPB.•Additional constructs improved the predictive power of the theoretical framework.•Environmental concern emerged as the most significant predictor of green purchase intention.
Teenagers are fond of online social networks (OSNs) but may be unable to decipher the marketing messages aimed at them or protect themselves from harmful advertisements, raising ethical concerns. The ...findings of this study may help alleviate such ethical concerns. Teenagers’ use of OSNs contributes to the development of a social skill—theory of mind (ToM)—which helps them interpret advertisements and detect deceptive contents. With regard to ethics-oriented outcomes, the findings confirm that ToM discourages youth materialism, which may be encouraged by inappropriate advertising, thereby demonstrating the utility of ToM in mitigating the adverse consequences of unethical marketing. Moreover, OSNs have reshaped how teenagers acquire ToM, such that they replace offline interactions (i.e., offline friendship quantity/quality) to play a central role in ToM development. Although OSNs expose teenagers to the harms of online marketing, they also empower teens to enhance their social skills, which potentially protect them from deceptive advertising.
The study, being explorative, attempts to extend the social-psychological behavioral model i.e. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by including two additional constructs viz. moral reflectiveness and ...conscientiousness to predict young Indian consumers' intention to visit green hotels. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to gather data from 295 consumers purposively and subsequently analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM). The attitude ranks high in merit for predicting the consumer's green hotel visit intention. Further, the relative importance of moral reflectiveness vis-à-vis conscientiousness has been observed more in predicting green hotel visit intention, however, vice versa is true while constituting attitude of consumers specific to green hotel choice intention. The findings also provide an extended support to the applicability and robustness of the TPB model in predicting young consumers' green hotel visit intention in the Indian context, as it has enhanced the predictive ability of the proposed conceptual model (from 37.5% to 42.1%). This study contributes to the existing theory and practice by providing useful insights about the attribution of conscientiousness and moral reflectiveness on young consumers' green hotel visit intention.
•This study utilized Theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict young consumers' green hotel visit intention.•Additional constructs (moral reflectiveness and conscientiousness) were included in TPB.•Attitude positively affects young consumers' green hotel visit intention.•Moral reflectiveness strongly predicts young consumers' green hotel visit intention than conscientiousness.•This study extended the applicability and robustness of the TPB model for young Indian consumers’ green hotel visit intention.
•Food waste issue requires an analysis which consider several factors simultaneously.•The study improves the overall knowledge about action preventing food waste.•Food management in home is important ...in reducing food waste intensity.•The reuse of leftovers is a relevant determinant of food waste minimization.
Food waste is a critical issue with multiple ethical, environmental and economic consequences. The aim of this study is to investigate which factors most affect food waste and determine what actions are undertaken to prevent it at the household level. The study, while privileging a behavioural perspective, focuses on the overall consumption process, from purchasing through final food consumption, thus assuming a broad perspective. The data for this study were collected among Italian, Spanish and English populations using three public online questionnaires administered from January to September 2017. This resulted in a total of 3323 usable questionnaires referring to a sample population aged between 18 and 35 years. As for the main motivation to waste food, the research findings provide strong evidence of the importance of in-store behaviour and food management at home in reducing the frequency of food waste in all the three countries examined. As for the actions preventing food waste, the consumption of leftovers appears as a relevant determinant in minimising food waste. The findings confirm that food waste is a complex issue that requires a broad approach of analysis considering several factors simultaneously. The study also provides further insights regarding the relationship between eating outside the home and food waste, which is a topic of debate in the extant literature. Finally, the study improves the overall knowledge about actions that prevent food waste, which have previously been poorly investigated.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of ecodesigned packaging on consumers' response. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) served as a framework for identifying major antecedents of ...ecodesigned packaging behavior and for determining their relative importance. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data of 204 young Indian consumers and test the proposed conceptual model. The finding of the study confirmed that purchase intention towards ecofriendly packaging is significantly influenced by personal norms, attitude, environmental concern and willingness to pay. The paper also provides interesting insights about young consumers towards eco-designed packaging. These useful insights will helpful to marketers in developing the focused strategies towards young consumers and encourage them to reduce the global ecological footprint of packaging.
Considering climate change and global warming, a transition from gasoline cars to electric vehicles (EVs) can progress toward reducing the carbon footprint and improving air quality. As young ...consumers prepare to become future automobile users, this research focuses on their EV perception, attitude, and cost considerations in a car-rental setting. Consumer confidence and affordability are the main barriers to the widespread adoption of EVs. Consumers remain skeptical about the functional and service quality of these new eco-friendly vehicles. The use of rental EVs can help consumers deal with these barriers because the stakes are relatively lower in a car-rental decision as compared to a vehicle purchase. Therefore, this study investigates the role of environmental protection attitude, subjective norms, perceived functional quality, post-rental service quality, price value, and willingness-to-pay regarding consumers rental intentions for EVs. Based on 502 survey respondents, this study tests the hypotheses using a covariance-based structural equation model. The results show that young consumers who are conscious of their environmental responsibilities, social norms, and quality are likely to rent an EV. The result also shows that price value does not directly impact the rental intention of young consumers, but rather indirectly through the mediating effect of willingness to pay. This finding is likely attributable to the fact that for this segment of the consumers, their household income determines their perceived price value and propensity to spend on eco-friendly vehicles.
•A significant negative relationship exists between age and food waste.•This is caused mainly by younger generations’ lack food management skills.•Younger generations are more likely to make ...impulsive purchases.•Interventions should focus on leftover use, fridge/freezer management and storing.
There are generational differences in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours with respect to food consumption and waste in households. Understanding these generational differences is necessary to be able to effectively combat household food waste. However, there is a deficit in studies that focus on these differences. To address this gap, we analysed survey results from 2187 households and interviews with 16 international experts to understand how food management skills and food waste behaviours are influenced by various generational groups. Findings support a significant negative relationship between age and food waste, that is, younger generations tend to waste more food. Increase in young consumers food waste is caused by lack of food management skills in the areas of shopping, storing, and cooking with leftovers. To encourage changes which support reducing food waste, it is recommended the messages targeting young consumers be communicated via combinations of intergenerational storytelling, web and smart phone-based Apps, and videos suitable for sharing on social media.
Materialism has consistently been associated with mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, and with a decline in overall wellbeing. This article seeks to deepen the understanding of ...whether or not the level of materialism is reduced when a sense of gratitude is instilled and, if so, how.
After a thorough literature review, two empirical studies are presented. Study 1 has a quasi-experimental design and a sample of adolescent individuals in a major city in Brazil. Study 2 takes the form of a survey, completed by parents, in the same city.
Study 1 demonstrates that a gratitude-based intervention can reduce the subjects' belief that material wealth brings happiness and signifies success. Study 2 suggests that parents who express gratitude have a perception of raising less materialistic children.
These conclusions add to the theory and practice of consumer psychology and responsible consumption, particularly in relation to the behavior of young people, pointing toward ways to reduce excessive consumption through a simple and easily applied intervention: the stimulus of gratitude.
The concept of developing sustainable consumption practices has been a factor for discussion within academic literature for nearly half a decade. Many have argued the consequences of unmonitored ...consumption practices within a ‘throw-away’ society would lead to environmental, social and economic degeneration. With consumption no longer hindered by global boundaries, there is an emergence of a common class of people within society consuming in vast amounts, over great distances from one another, and reaps irreparable environmental damage. The onus of developing sustainable practice is no longer the sole responsibility of economies of affluence and specific segments of our economy but has become the responsibility of all stakeholders. Using a triangulated qualitative approach, the aim of this research is to advance our understanding and definition of sustainability in the key stakeholder group: The young consumers, Y generation. The research will focus on understanding their consumption footprints and their view of the notion of sustainability. Implications for social changes, policy and practice will also be presented.