Abstract
Although consumers around the world are increasingly embracing green consumption habits, a significant portion of individuals still struggle to translate their green purchase intention into actual behaviors. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as the “green attitude-behavior gap”, which has garnered attention from the scientific community. Habits, which are behaviors that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously, have been found to play a critical mediation role in the intention–behavior gap. This study examines the effects of a set of variables, including buyers’ predispositions and product characteristics, on green purchase habits. To investigate this relationship, the study estimated a multiple-indicators, multiple-causes model (MIMIC) while controlling for measurement errors in a sample of Italian adult consumers (n = 1101, 65% female, aged 18-86 years old). The results show that price consciousness, perceived consumer effectiveness, green self-efficacy, green product availability, as well as favorable taste and lower price for green products compared to traditional options, in addition to working on eco-sustainability topics and frequent personal food purchases, predicted green food purchase habits (χ2/df = 30.930; RMSEA = 0.029; SRMR = 0.010; and CFI = 0.994). By identifying the factors that may influence green food purchase habits, businesses and policymakers can develop targeted interventions and messages to promote environmentally conscious behaviors and mitigate the intention-behavior gap that currently exists.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Economic, Social, and Cultural Context
KEYWORDS
GREEN INTENTION-BEHAVIOR GAP, GREEN PURCHASE-HABITS, PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS, BUYERS CHARACTERISTICS
