Evaluating the Effects of Altruistic Value, Environmental Awareness, and Social Media on Green Purchasing Behavior with the Mediating Role of Normative Goal and Environmental Concern

Subject Areas : Environmental Economics

Fereshteh  Mohammadsalehi ¹ (Ph.D. Student, Department of Business Management, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran.)
alireza  rousta ² (Assistant Professor, Department of Business Management, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran *(Corresponding Author))
Majid  Ahmadi ³ (Ph.D. Graduate, Department of Business Management, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.)

Received: 2022-10-20 Accepted : 2023-03-04 Published : 2023-05-22

Keywords: green purchasing behavior, Environmental concern, Environmental awareness, and Organic Food Products, Altruistic Value,

Abstract :

Background & Objective: Concerns about environmental degradation have increased in the past few decades. In response to these concerns, consumers help preserve the environment by adopting green purchasing behavior and using green products. Environmental issues and environmental protection are one of the most important criteria that consumers should consider when purchasing. The aim of the research is to evaluate the effects of altruistic value, environmental awareness and social media on green purchasing behavior with the mediating role of normative goal and environmental concern. Material and Methodology:  This study is considered as an applied research in terms of purpose and survey-descriptive research in terms data collection method. The statistical population of the research is the customers of organic food products in Tehran in 2022. Also, 415 questionnaires were distributed using available sampling method and 387 questionnaires were collected. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by evaluating Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which was 0.919. Validity of the research tool has been confirmed by performing confirmatory factor analysis technique. Structural equation modeling has also been used to analyze the information. Findings: According to the results of research hypotheses, the perceived effectiveness of the customer, social media, environmental awareness, and altruistic value have a significant effect on the normative goal and environmental concern. Also, the role of normative goal and environmental concern on green purchasing behavior has been shown. Discussion and conclusion: From the point of view of customers, the most influential factor on the environmental attitude is the altruistic value variable with the statistic of 13/363 and the least effective factor on the normative goal is the environmental awareness variable with a statistic of 3.521.

References:

 

1. Wang, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, J., & Su, X. 2019. How impacting factors affect Chinese green purchasing behavior based on Fuzzy cognitive maps. J. Clean. Prod, 240, 1–9. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118199


2. Hosta, M., & Zabkar, V. 2021. Antecedents of environmentally and socially responsible sustainable consumer behavior. J. Bus. Ethics, 171, 273–293. doi: 10.1007/s10551-019-04416-0


3. Ge, W., Sheng, G., & Zhang, H. 2020. How to solve the social norm conflict dilemma of green consumption: the moderating effect of self-affirmation. Front. Psychol, 11, 566571. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566571


4. Chen, Y.S., Huang, A.F., Wang, T.Y., & Chen, Y.R. 2020. Greenwash and green purchase behaviour: the mediation of green brand image and green brand loyalty. Total Qual. Manag. Bus. 31, 194–209. doi: 10.1080/14783363.2018.1426450


5. Ahmadi, M., Faridchehr, E., & Ahmadi, M. 2019. Investigate the role of self- efficacy and social tendencies in green purchase intention and behavior (Case study: Ofogh Koorosh Chain Stores). Journal of Environmental Education & Development, 7(4), 143-159. (In Persian)


6. Yin, S., Li, B., Zhang, X., & Zhang, M. 2019. How to improve the quality and speed of green new product development?. Processes, 7(7), 443.


7. Mehraj, D., & Qureshi, I.H. 2020. Determinants of green marketing mix in developing economies: Conceptualisation and scale validation approach. Business Strategy & Development, 3(4), 522- 530. (In Persian)


8. Bahrainizadeh, M., Rezaei, B. 2015. Meta-analysis and identification of factors influencing consumers' green purchasing decision-making behavior. Management researches in Iran, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 21-48. (In Persian)


9. Harryani, S. 2017. Customer Relationship Management Influence on Customer Value, Product Quality And Service quality In Improving Customer Satisfaction And Its Implication On The Customer Loyalty. Journal of economi bussiness, 22(2), 160-165.


10. Hays, S., Page, S.J., & Buhalis, D. 2013. Social Media as a Destination Marketing Tool: Its Use By National Tourism Organizations. Current Issues in Tourism, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 211-239.


11. Rudez, H.N., & Vodeb, K. 2015. Students’ Use of Social Media during the Travel Process. Tourism and Hospitality Management, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 179-190.


12. Li, Y. (2018). Study of the effect of environmental education on environmental awareness and environmental attitude based on environmental protection law of the People’s Republic of China. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(6), 2277-2285.


13. Kaur, B., Gangwar, V.P., & Dash, G. 2022. Green Marketing Strategies, Environmental Attitude, and Green Buying Intention: A Multi-Group Analysis in an Emerging Economy Context. Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 10, p. 6107.


14. Joshi, Y., & Rahman, Z. 2019. Consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour: modeling the impact of psychological factors. Ecological economics, no. 159, pp. 235- 243.


15. Yadav, R., & Pathak, G.S. 2017. Determinants of Consumers' Green Purchase Behavior in a Developing Nation: Applying and Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior. Ecological Economics, 134, pp. 114-122.


16. Steg, L. 2014. An integrated framework for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour Steg, Emmalina; Bolderdijk, Jan; Keizer, Kees; Perlaviciute, Goda. Psychology, no. 38, pp. 104-115.


17. Feigin, S., Owens, G. & Goodyear-Smith, F. 2014. Theories of human altruism: A systematic review. Annals of Neuroscience and Psychology, Retrieved from http://www.vipoa.org/neuropsychol.


18. Abbasi, A., Yadollahi, Sh., Beygi, J. 2017. Investigating consumer intention to purchase green products using the theory of planned behavior, environmental concerns and environmental knowledge. Journal of Modern Marketing Research, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 119-130. (In Persian)


19. Zare, A., Ahmadvand, M., Rigi, F. 2019. Factors explaining the environmental attitude and behavior of the students of Shahid Motahari Agricultural College, Shiraz. Scientific Quarterly of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 56-68. (In Persian)


20. Dost Hosseini, F., Rajabipour M., Alireza; Dua'i, Zohra, A.S. 2021. The effect of environmental attitude on green purchasing behavior. Scientific Journal of Business Management Explorations, vol. 13, no. 25, pp. 531-556. (In Persian)


21. Apinhapath, C. 2014. Community Mapping and Theory of Planned Behavior as Study Tools for Solid Waste Management. J. Waste Manag, 934372.


22. Ferronato, N., Ragazzi, M., Gorritty Portillo, M.A., Guisbert Lizarazu, E.G., Viotti, P., & Torretta, V. 2019. How to improve recycling rate in developing big cities: An integrated approach for assessing municipal solid waste collection and treatment scenarios. Environ. Dev, 29, pp. 94–110.


23. Okan, M., Aydin, H.M., & Barsbay, M. 2019. Current approaches to waste polymer utilization and minimization: A review. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol, 94, pp. 8–21.


24. Rice, G. (2006). Pro-environmental behavior in Egypt: Is there a role for Islamic environmental ethics?. J. Bus. Ethics, 65, pp. 373–390.


25. Eedil, M. 2018. Segmenting Generation Y Consumers Based On Green Purchase Intention. 4^th Global Business Research Congress, 7, pp. 1-10.


26. Amenuvor, F.E., Owusu-Antwi, K., Bae, S.C., Shin, S.K.S., & Basilisco, R. 2019. Green purchase behavior: the predictive roles of consumer self-determination, perceived customer effectiveness and perceived price. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management, vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 1395-1411.


27. Hanss, D., Doran, R. 2020. Perceived Consumer Effectiveness. In Responsible Consumption and Production, Springer, Berlin/ Heidelberg, Germany, pp. 535–544.


28. Heo, J., & Muralidharan, S. 2016. What triggers young Millennials to purchase eco-friendly products?: The interrelationships among knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental concern. J. Mark. Commun, 25, pp. 421–437.


29. European Commission. Eurostat. 2015. Sustainable Development in the European Union: Monitoring Report of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy: 2015 edition. Publ. Office. 2015. Available online: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2785/544357 (accessed on 28 July 2021).


30. Tu, M., Zhang, B., Xu, J., & Lu, F. 2020. Mass media, information and demand for environmental quality: evidence from “Under the Dome”. J. Dev. Econ, 143, 102402. doi: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2019.102402


31. Xu, X., Wang, S.Y., & Yu, Y. 2020. Consumer’s intention to purchase green furniture: do health consciousness and environmental awareness matter?. Sci. Total Environ. 704:135275. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135275


32. Tang, Y., Chen, S., & Yuan, Z. 2020. The effects of hedonic, gain, and normative motives on sustainable consumption: multiple mediating evidence from China. Sustain. Dev, 28, pp. 741–750. doi: 10.1002/sd.2024


33. Muralidharan, S., Rejón-Guardia, F., & Xue, F. 2016. Understanding the Green Buying Behavior of Younger Millennials from India and the United States: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1-22.


34. Kim, H.Y., & Chung, J.E. 2011. Consumer purchase intention for organic personal care products. J. Consum. Mark, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 40–47.


35. Ahn, J-M., Koo, D-M., & Chang, H-S. 2012. Different impacts of normative influences on pro-environmental purchasing behavior explained by differences in individual characteristics. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 163-182.


36. Ritter, A.M., Borchardt, M., Vaccaro, G.L.R., Pereira, G.M., & Almeida, F. 2015. Motivations for promoting the consumption of green products in an emerging country: exploring attitudes of Brazilian consumers. J. Clean. Prod, no. 106, pp. 507–520.


37. Gadenne, D., Sharma, B., Kerr, D., & Smith, T. 2011. The influence of consumers' environmental beliefs and attitudes on energy saving behavior. Energy Policy, vol. 39, no. 12, pp. 7684–7694.


38. Bech-Larsen, T., 1996. Danish consumers' attitudes to the functional and environmental characteristics of food packaging. J. Consum. Policy 19, pp. 339–363.


39. Cheung, M.F.Y., To, W.M. 2016. A customer-dominant logic on service recovery and customer satisfaction. Manag. Decis, vol. 54 no. 10, pp. 2524–2543.


40. De Groot, J.I., & Steg, L. 2009. Mean or green: Which values can promote stable pro-environmental behavior?. Conserv. Lett, 2, pp. 61–66.


41. Yadav, R., & Pathak, G.S. 2016. Intention to purchase organic food among young consumers: Evidences from a developing nation. Appetite, 96, pp. 122-128.


42. Kim, M.S., & Stepchenkova, S. 2020. Altruistic values and environmental knowledge as triggers of pro-environmental behavior among tourists. Curr. Issues Tour, 23, pp. 1575–1580.


43. Tolppanen, S., & Kang, J. 2021. The effect of values on carbon footprint and attitudes towards pro-environmental behavior. J. Clean. Prod, 282, 124524.


44. Liu, X., Zou, Y., & Wu, J. 2018. Factors influencing public-sphere pro-environmental behavior among Mongolian college students: A test of value–belief–norm theory. Sustainability, 10, 1384.


45. Shao, J., Mahmood, A., Han, H. 2021. Unleashing the Potential Role of CSR and Altruistic Values to Foster Pro-Environmental Behavior by Hotel Employees. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18, 13327. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph182413327


46. Milfont, T.L., Duckitt, J., & Wagner, C.A. 2010. Cross-cultural test of the value–attitude–behavior hierarchy. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol, no. 40, pp. 2791–2813.


47. Jung, K., Cho, Y.C., & Lee, S. 2014. Online shoppers’ response to price comparison sites. J. Bus. Res, 67, pp. 2079–2087.


48. Hafner, B.R., Elmes, D., Read, D., & White, M.P. 2019. Exploring the role of normative, financial and environmental information in promoting uptake of energy efficient technologies. J. Environ. Psychol, 63, 26–35. doi: 10.1016/j. jenvp.2019.03.004


49. Ghasemi Namghi, M., Khormian Tousi, S. 2018. Investigating the effect of psychological factors on the purchase intention and customer commitment (case study: customers of Hakopian Garment Apparel Company). Specialized Scientific Quarterly of New Management Research Approaches in Management and Accounting, vol. 3, no. 13, pp. 71-81. (In Persian)


50. Lu, A.C.C., Gursoy, D., & Del Chiappa, G. 2016. The influence of materialism on ecotourism attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Travel Research, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 176-189.


51. Azizi, Maryam; Mehdizadeh, Hossein; Shabiri, Seyyed Mohammad 2011. Investigating the status of the environmental approach of housewives in Ilam city. Journal of Man and Environment, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 77-87. (In Persian)


52. Cheah, I., & Phau, I. 2011. Attitudes towards environmentally friendly products: The influence of ecoliteracy, interpersonal influence and value orientation. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 452-472.


53. Polonsky, M.J., Vocino, A., Grau, S.L., Garma, R., & Ferdous, A.S. 2012. The impact of general and carbon-related environmental knowledge on attitudes and behavior of US consumers. Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 28, no. (3-4), pp. 238- 263.


54. Groening, C., Sarkis, J., & Zhu, Q. 2018. Green marketing consumer-level theory review: A compendium of applied theories and further research directions. Journal of Cleaner Production, no. 172, pp. 1848-1866.


55. Bashir Khodaprasti, R., Mehdi Khani, R. 2015. Providing a model for improving economic performance based on green marketing strategies with the function of environmental protection (case study: Tehran Municipality). Urban Management, no. 93, pp. 42-208. (In Persian)


56. Hasan, Z., & Ali, N.A. 2017. Modelling the Relationship Between Green Marketing Strategies And Performance Outcomes For Business Sustainability. Proceedings of the Global Conference on Business and Economics Research (GCBER). 14-15 August 2017, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia


57. Jing, K., Qi, M., Mei, Y.M., & Chen, L. 2022. The impact of empathy with nature on green purchase behavior: An ERP study. Neuroscience Letters, 784.


58. Liu, J., Yang, W., & Cong, L. 2022. The role of value co-creation in linking green purchase behavior and corporate social responsibility – An empirical analysis of the agri-food sector in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 360.


59. Madhavika, W.D.N., Amaraweera, D.I., Fernando, M.S.A., Perera, K.K.D.H., & Perera, M.N.D. Factors Influencing the Green Purchase Intentions of Consumers in Event Planning Industry in Sri Lanka.


60. Cheung, M.F.Y., & To,M. 2019. An extended model of value-attitude-behavior to explain Chinese consumers’ green purchase behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 50, pp. 145-153.


61. Kautish, P., Paul, J., & Sharma, R. 2019. The moderating influence of environmental consciousness and recycling intentions on green purchase behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, pp. 1425-1436.


62. Mohammadi, O., Pirzad, A., & Mousavi, S.N. (2022). Designing a Green Marketing Development Model for Organic Products. Jounal of Marketing Management, 17(54), 131-149.


63. Toulabi, Z., Arwaneh, M., Shojayan, P. 2021. The role of green perceived value in attitude towards green products and consumer purchase intention. Scientific quarterly of environmental education and sustainable development, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 81-98. (In Persian)


64. Hamdami Toularoud, H.Kh., Farahbod, F., Navidi Pashtiri, Sh., Dadashi Jokandan, A. 2021. Explaining the intention to buy green products with emphasis on the theory of planned behavior. Shebak specialized scientific journal, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 53-68. (In Persian)


65. Fatoureh Chi, Z., Ebrahimpour, H., Babaei, Y. 2018. Evaluating the impact of green marketing on buying behavior and loyalty of food products. Journal of Business Studies, No. 104, pp. 95-113. (In Persian)


66. Hosseini, M.H., Nowrozi Ajirlu, R. 2017. The effect of consumer values theory on green purchasing behavior with emphasis on the mediating role of environmental concern (case study: consumers of green products in Tehran). Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 129-140. (In Persian)


67. Shen, Y. 2017. Consumption Intentions toward green restaurants: Application of theory of planned behavior and altruism. International Journal of Management, Economics and Social Sciences (IJMESS), vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 121-143.


68. Trivedi, R.H., Patel, J.D., & Acharya, N. 2018. Causality analysis of media influence on environmental attitude, intention and behaviors leading to green purchasing. Journal of Cleaner Production. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.024.


69. Yang, X., Tseng, Y., & Lee, B. 2021. Merging the Social Influence Theory and the Goal-Framing Theory to Understand Consumers’ Green Purchasing Behavior: Does the Level of Sensitivity to Climate Change Really Matter?. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 766754.


70. Wetzels, M., Odekerken-Schröder, G. and Van Oppen, C., 2009. Using PLS path modeling for assessing hierarchical construct models: Guidelines and empirical illustration. MIS quarterly, pp.177-195.


71. Khare, A., & Kautish, P. 2022. Antecedents to green apparel purchase behavior of Indian consumers. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 222-251.


72. Currás‐Pérez, R., Dolz‐Dolz, C., Miquel‐Romero, M.J., & Sánchez‐García, I. 2018. How social, environmental, and economic CSR affects consumer‐perceived value: Does perceived consumer effectiveness make a difference?. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 733-747.


73. Kang, J., Liu, C., & Kim, S.H. 2013. Environmentally sustainable textile and apparel consumption: the role of consumer knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived personal relevance. Int. J. Consum. Stud, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 442–452.


74. Rishel, N.M. 2011. Digitizing deliberation: Normative concerns for the use of social media in deliberative democracy. Administrative Theory & Praxis, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 411-432.


75. Liao, Z. (2018). Institutional pressure, knowledge acquisition and a firm's environmental innovation. Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 849-857.


76. Bhuian, S.N., Sharma, S.K., Butt, I., & Ahmed, Z.U. 2018. Antecedents and pro-environmental consumer behavior (PECB): the moderating role of religiosity. Journal of Consumer Marketing.


77. Wang, L., Wong, P.P.W., & Alagas, E.N. 2020. Antecedents of green purchase behaviour: an examination of altruism and environmental knowledge. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research.


78. Yang, X., Chen, S.C., & Zhang, L. 2020. Promoting sustainable development: A research on residents' green purchasing behavior from a perspective of the goal‐framing theory. Sustainable Development, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 1208-1219.


79. Samarasinghe, R. 2012. The influence of cultural values and environmental attitudes on green consumer behaviour. The Journal of Behavioral Science, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 83-98.