Determinants of eco-socially conscious consumer behavior toward alternative fuel vehicles

Abstract

Purpose Climate change and global warming are acknowledged to be growing issues caused by emissions of greenhouse gases. Fuel-efficient or green cars offer a technological solution to reduce CO2 emissions from car exhaust. This study aims to draw on value–belief–norm (VBN) theory to provide an explanation of eco-socially conscious consumer behavior (ESCCB) related to the choice and use of personal cars. Design/methodology/approach The data was collected from 1,372 customers of the automobile industry of Pakistan, randomly drawn from 8 metropolitan cities. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to verify the hypotheses of the study. Findings By using variance-based structural equation modeling, this study showed that the VBN theory is fully supported in the cultural context of Pakistan and behavioral context of ESCCB. More specifically, personal introjected norms of the customers proved to be strong predictors of ESCCB while personal integrated norms predicted eco-social purchase intentions well. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study of its kind that examines the VBN model in the context of a developing country, Pakistan, and for a category of behaviors rarely tested before, i.e. ESCCBs related to purchase and use of personal cars.

Effects of institutions on the eco-brand orientation of millennial consumers: a social cognitive perspective

“…Studies have noted that consumers develop achievable goals supported by one's evaluation of personal capability to pursue them and realistic outcome expectations (Moriuchi, 2021;Achabou et al, 2020;Li and Zhong, 2017). Saleem et al (2021) suggest that consumer goals to engage in sustainable behaviours are primarily driven by the perceived outcomes of those behaviours:…”

“…Consistent with previous studies on sustainable consumer behaviour (Saleem et al, 2021;Martinez et al, 2015;Leonidou et al, 2010;Bian and Moutinho, 2011;Mostafa, 2007), we accounted for the potential confounding effects of gender (i.e. male or female) and highest formal educational level of the respondents on the hypothesised relationships of the constructs under investigation.…”

Actions Speak Louder than Words: Investigating the Interplay between Descriptive and Injunctive Norms to Promote Alternative Fuel Vehicles

“…Similarly, adapted from existing studies [52], descriptive norms were measured using four items (α = 0.779). In line with existing studies of a similar kind [16,17], this study utilized sevenitem scales to measure integrated and introjected norms separately (α integrated = 0.830; α introjected = 0.796). ESCCB related to and use of personal cars refers to a specific set of behaviors including elements of social and ecological motivations in using personal cars intending to reduce the impact of personal cars on the environment [7].…”

“…In this study, we measured intentions rather than actual behavior. The reason behind measuring intentions include: (1) intentions are closest proxy of actual behavior [21], (2) self-report behaviors are treated almost similarly as intentions in the literature [21], and (3) measurement of actual behavior is somehow complicated and may require more time in data collection [17]. The construct was measured with a nine-item scale comprising interrelated factors (eco-social use, eco-social purchase).…”

“…The current literature offers several models and frameworks for diffusion and adoption of AFVs, predominantly in the developed countries' context [11][12][13][14][15]. Some of these models ponder upon the influence of social and personal norms on customers' decision making process involving purchase of AFVs [16,17], however, there is little known about the objective patterns and wide-spread regularities manifested in norms-driven behavior influencing choice of AFVs. Additionally, in developing countries, there is a dearth of research explaining the motivations behind consumers' potential economic trade-offs for environmental well-being in choosing and using personal cars.…”