Intention of green consumption in the context of the selfish or altruistic features of the product versus the user’s environmental consciousness

Abstract

This research analyzed the relationship between the different motivations of green consumption in the context of a product with selfish and/or altruistic characteristics, given the different levels of environmental awareness and its impact on consumer behavior. For this, explanatory research, of quantitative character, was carried out using the realization of an experiment with the scenario of social values ​​and individual consciousness for the method. The results showed that the motivation from the perspective of environmental concern, which proposes an altruistic consumption, had a greater influence on the practice of green consumption when compared to the motivation of the social perspective (fad and individual positioning), which in turn proposes selfish consumption. The data also showed that for the technological elite the social value provided by consumption, whether by its normative perspective or social status, does not influence the practice of green consumption. Finally, the research showed that the level of environmental awareness is an important antecedent of the intention to use green products, in which users with a higher level of environmental awareness have a greater intention to consume. However, it was possible to identify a large gap between the prediction of use and the current use of green products for consumers.

Keywords:
Green consumption; Consumer behavior; Motivation and environmental consciousness