Ecological Consumer Behaviour: An Empirical Analysis

Increasingly, consumers choose ecological products when they do the shopping, not only because it is a healthier option but also because it helps to sustain the environment for future generations. They are prepared to switch products for ecological reasons and stop buying products from companies that cause pollution. Firms and other economic institutions are aware of the importance of reflecting these attitudes towards the environment in developing their products. This paper is focused on environmental attitudes as meaningful predictor of ecological behaviour. A three-dimensional approach to this variable has been developed, which addresses its emotional, cognitive and conative components. A random sample survey of 573 individuals was used to verify the conceptual model and framework. This model was assessed initially by principal factor analysis and subsequently, by structural equation modelling. Findings of this study showed that environmental attitudes have a significant effect on ecological behaviour. This research improves our understanding of how consumers feel and what attitudes best define their way of behaving in relation to environmental problems.

[1]  N. Ramanaiah,et al.  Personality Profiles of Environmentally Responsible Groups , 2000, Psychological reports.

[2]  Raymond G. Dispoto.  Interrelationships Among Measures of Environmental Activity, Emotionality, and Knowledge , 1977 .

[3]  J. M. Hines,et al.  Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis. , 1987 .

[4]  M. A. Mestre.  DYANE: diseño y análisis de encuestas en investigación social y de mercados , 1997 .

[5]  M. P. Maloney,et al.  A revised scale for the measurement of ecological attitudes and knowledge. , 1975 .

[6]  M. J. Rosenberg.  Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Components of Attitudes , 1960 .

[7]  Teodoro Luque Martínez.  Técnicas de análisis de datos en investigación de mercados , 2000 .

[8]  M. P. Maloney,et al.  Ecology: Let's hear from the people: An objective scale for the measurement of ecological attitudes and knowledge. , 1973 .

[9]  P. Stern,et al.  The New Ecological Paradigm in Social-Psychological Context , 1995 .

[10]  Matthew J. Kotchen,et al.  Random effects analysis , 2003 .

[11]  P. Schultz,et al.  VALUES AS PREDICTORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES: EVIDENCE FOR CONSISTENCY ACROSS 14 COUNTRIES , 1999 .

[12]  James C. Anderson,et al.  STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING IN PRACTICE: A REVIEW AND RECOMMENDED TWO-STEP APPROACH , 1988 .

[13]  I. G. Esteban,et al.  Fundamentos y técnicas de investigación comercial , 1994 .

[14]  R. Dunlap,et al.  The “New Environmental Paradigm” , 1978 .

[15]  John Thøgersen,et al.  Values and Attitude Formation Towards Emerging Attitude Objects: From Recycling to General, Waste Minimizing Behavior , 1997 .

[16]  R. Rickson,et al.  Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes , 1976 .

[17]  Ricky Y. K. Chan.  Environmental Attitudes and Behavior of Consumers in China , 1999 .

[18]  B. Byrne,et al.  Structural Equation Modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows. , 1996 .

[19]  C. Daniel Batson,et al.  Where is the altruism in the altruistic personality , 1986 .

[20]  Karen A. Machleit,et al.  A Comparison of Attitudes and Emotions as Predictors of Behavior at Diverse Levels of Behavioral Experience , 1992 .

[21]  James McGuinness,et al.  Attitudinal correlates of recycling behavior. , 1977 .

[22]  Jack Arbuthnot,et al.  The Roles of Attitudinal and Personality Variables in the Prediction of Environmental Behavior and Knowledge , 1977 .

[23]  Jack Arbuthnot,et al.  A Comparison of French and American Environmental Behaviors, Knowledge, and Attitudes , 1975 .

[24]  S. Schwartz.  Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries , 1992 .

[25]  Kent L. Granzin,et al.  Characterizing Participants in Activities Protecting the Environment: A Focus on Donating, Recycling, and Conservation Behaviors , 1991 .

[26]  Ricky Y. K. Chan.  Determinants of Chinese consumers' green purchase behavior , 2001 .

[27]  Jeffrey Pope,et al.  Investigación de mercados , 1994 .

[28]  M. A. Mestre.  DYANE: versión 3 : diseño y análisis de encuestas en investigación social y de mercados , 2001 .

[29]  A. Grob.  A structural model of environmental attitudes and behaviour , 1995 .

[30]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior , 1980 .

[31]  R. Bagozzi,et al.  On the evaluation of structural equation models , 1988 .

[32]  F. Kaiser,et al.  ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDE AND ECOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR , 1999 .

[33]  Xianggui Qu,et al.  Multivariate Data Analysis , 2007, Technometrics.

[34]  Kevin Lawler,et al.  Environmentally friendly products: Factors that influence their adoption , 1997 .

[35]  Curtis P. Haugtvedt,et al.  Attitudes and Recycling: Does the Measurement of Affect Enhance Behavioral Prediction? , 1994 .

[36]  R. Dunlap,et al.  THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PARADIGM: 5 PROPOSED MEASURING INSTRUMENT AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS , 1978 .

[37]  Ildefonso Grande.  A Structural Equation Modelling Approach for Assessing the Dimensions of the Optimum Stimulation Level , 2000 .

[38]  M. Ranney,et al.  Ecological behavior, environmental attitude, and feelings of responsibility for the environment , 1999 .

[39]  E. Andrés,et al.  Influencia de las características demográficas y socioeconómicas de los consumidores en la compra de productos ecológicos , 2003 .

[40]  L. Takahashi,et al.  Environmental Behavior in Bangkok, Thailand: A Portrait of Attitudes, Values, and Behavior , 1999, Economic Development and Cultural Change.