Environmental quality awareness, green trust, green self-efficacy, and environmental attitude in influencing green purchase behavior

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of green trust (GT), environmental quality awareness (EQA), green self-efficacy (GSE) and environmental attitude (EA) towards green purchase behaviour (GPB). The mediating effect of EA is also investigated. Design/methodology/approach: Attribution theory and the attitude-behaviour gap model were used to develop the research model. Data were collected through an online survey, which yielded 321 complete and usable responses. The partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM; SmartPLS, Version 3) technique was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings: The analysis revealed that GT, GSE and EA affect GPB positively. It was also found that EA mediates the relationship between “environmental quality awareness and green purchase behaviour” and “green self-efficacy and green purchase behaviour”. However, EA did not mediate the link between “green trust and green purchase behaviour”. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide insightful implications for social and green marketers, including an understanding of the complex customer behaviour in purchasing green products, which will eventually enable them to formulate better green marketing strategies. Originality/value: This study is amongst the pioneers in investigating the effect of EQA in relation to GPB. Furthermore, the mediating effect of EA in the link between “environmental quality awareness and green purchase behaviour”, “green trust and green purchase behaviour” and “green self-efficacy and green purchase behaviour” is also a new contribution to the literature. Finally, this study explains the drivers of consumers’ GPB, thereby providing a novel understanding of the field.