A Study of Purchase Intention of Eco-friendly Products: A Cross-Cultural Investigation between Korea and China

Abstract

This study sought to compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly products between Korean and Chinese consumers. For this purpose, it established a conceptual model in which environmental knowledge affects attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control toward eco-friendly products, which in turn are connected to purchase intention of eco-friendly products. According to the analysis results, in both Korean and Chinese cases consumers' environmental knowledge had a positive effect their attitude to eco-friendly products and subjective norm, and the variable that exerted the strongest influence on purchase intention was subjective norm. On the other hand, this research found some differences in the results between the two countries: in the Korean case the path from perceived behavioral control to purchase intention was not statistically supported, whereas the Chinses case the path from environmental knowledge to perceived behavioral control was rejected. 1

The Analysis of the Difference in Eco-friendly Behavior between Korean and Chinese Consumers

“…According to the previous studies comparing the difference of consumer's behavior according to environmental consciousness, the relationship between environmental consciousness and eco-friendly behavior was high, and consumers with high environmental consciousness were likely to do eco-friendly behavior [7]. Consumers with high sensitivity to environmental pollution, environmental reports, and articles claimed that the consistency of attitude and behavior appeared in the relationship between environmental preservation attitude and eco-friendly behavior [8]. Tognacci et al, [9] also argued that environmental consciousness is an important factor in predicting eco-friendly behavior.…”

“…Through previous studies, China was identified as a country with a strong tendency to collectivism [8]. China, a socialist system, has a very strong tendency to comply with and follow the government's decisions.…”

Examining Purchase Intention of Eco-Friendly Products: A Comparative Study

“…Therefore, this study was conducted to compare purchase intention of eco-friendly products between Korean and Chinese consumers. The reason for selecting China for the comparison to Korea was that lately China has shown great concerns with environmental issues unlike in the past (Yoon and Joung, 2019).…”

“…Actually, even though China has been pointed out as one of the countries that have had the strongest effect on the global environment, in the past the Chinese government did not show great interest in and high responsibility for environmental problems (Yoon and Joung, 2019). However, recognizing the seriousness of environmental problems, the government brought the New Environmental Protection Law into effect in 2015, and has led radical changes in environmental attitudes and behavior of individuals and companies at the national level.…”

“…The purpose of this study was to conduct of the suggested framework of the process toward purchase intention of eco-friendly products, and to examine differences in the process between Korean and Chinese consumers (Yoon and Joung, 2019). The empirical results will contribute to helping us understand the academic and practical meaning of environmental knowledge.…”