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Archives of Business Research – Vol. 10, No. 11
Publication Date: November 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/abr.1011.13472. Phuong, T. T. A., & Cam, N. M. N. (2022). Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from the Mekong River Delta,
Vietnam. Archives of Business Research, 10(11). 209-221.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from
the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam
Tran Thi Anh Phuong
FPT University Can Tho, Vietnam and Xiangtan University, China
Nguyen Mai Nhu Cam
Can Tho University, Vietnam
ABSTRACT
This research aims at analysing green consumption behaviour of young consumers
from Mekong River Delta, Vietnam by applying the extended theory of planned
behaviour (TPB). Data was collected from 342 students in Mekong Delta (MKD) via
online platforms. The regression results indicated that four factors affecting
students' green consumer behaviour were Attitude to green consumption,
Subjective norms, Environmental awareness, and Perceived behavioural control.
Attitude to green consumption was the most impactful factor, whereas Availability
of green products did not significantly affect green consumption behaviour. Based
on the findings, some managerial implications would be proposed to raise
consumers' awareness of using more environmental-friendly products.
Keywords: Green consumption, Extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), pro- environmental behaviors, sustainable marketing.
INTRODUCTION
According to the World Bank’s Business Environment Report 2020, Vietnam was ranked 70th
out of 190 economies regarding ease of doing business. However, pollution is severely affecting
its economic growth. Specially, the daily plastic waste in Vietnam averages nearly 18 thousand
tons, making it the fourth-biggest plastic waste producer (Ministry of Construction, 2020).
Besides, air pollution and water pollution have cost Vietnam approximately 8.68% of the total
GDP.
In recent decades, despite great efforts made by enterprises to make the manufacturing process
more eco-friendly and efficient, it is the environmental impact caused by the manufacture that
is reduced, not that caused by customers' choices, uses, and discarding. As a result, consumer
behavior is playing an increasingly crucial role in tackling environmental issues.
Nowadays, thanks to the increase in annual income as well as the improvement of customers’
consciousness, green consumption has been considered a trend of the 21st century, when the
environment has taken center stage in many countries, including Vietnam. The limited use of
plastic bags and other plastic products and the emergence of alternative eco-friendly or
recyclable materials have also been warmly welcomed.
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To effectively scale up and develop green consumption, many research studies have been
conducted to significantly raise public awareness and encourage green consumption. White
(2001) pointed out that the student market is an important segment to marketers, whose
responsibilities include approaching and researching this group of consumers, as they have to
make their own decisions in all aspects of life, very often making their first purchase without
their parents’ opinions. To curb the alarming rate of pollution in Vietnam in general and in Can
Tho City (CTC), the economic hub of the Mekong River Delta (MRD) region in Vietnam, in
particular, this research is of great importance and urgency. It aims to analyze the contributing
factors to students' green consumption in MDR, as well as suggest solutions that help promote
green consumption.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH MODEL
Theoretical basis
Green products
According to Goh and Nabsiah (2015), green products are those that fulfill the ecological
requirements, such as replacing artificial ingredients with organic ones which are more
recyclable, eco-friendlier, and harmless to human beings in comparison with their counterparts
on the market [1].
However, Ottman et al. (2006) evaluated that no product has completely no negative impact on
the environment. In other words, people have yet to create an absolutely eco-friendly product,
but instead, the items available nowadays are just relatively eco-friendly, due to various
environmental influences they have in different stages, from the manufacture, utilization to
disposal [2].
Green consumption
Peattie (2010) referred to green consumption as the consumer behavior of the products that
could be preserved, beneficial to the environment, as well as satisfactory to green practitioners.
Not only does green consumption involve customers’ decision not to buy products that harm
the environment, but it also encourages them to purchase eco-friendly and recycled items
instead [3].
Green consumer behavior
Kim and Choi (2005) stated that green consumer behavior is different from ordinary consumer
behavior. Ordinary consumer behavior is the consideration of both benefits and costs. In
marked contrast, green consumer behavior usually prioritizes social benefits [4]. Besides, some
authors explained that both objective and subjective factors lay the foundation for green
consumer behavior. These factors include attitudes and knowledge of environmental issues,
awareness of the product's environmental impacts, demographic factors, standards of moral
values, personal living conditions, characteristics of the product [4].
Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)
The introduction of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) aimed at reducing the
shortcomings of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1975) when predicting
the subconscious behavior of consumers, who have no control over it. The TPB model was
proposed by Ajzen, who stated that the intention leading to behavior is influenced by attitude,
subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control [5].
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Phuong, T. T. A., & Cam, N. M. N. (2022). Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Archives
of Business Research, 10(11). 209-221.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.1011.13472
Figure 1. Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991)
The TPB (Ajzen, 1991) is a suitable framework for examining and predicting the purchasing
intention and behavior by intention (one’s readiness to perform a behavior) and perceived
behavioral control (PBC; perceptions of control over behavioral performance); intention is
influenced by attitudes (one’s overall evaluations of performing a behavior), subjective norm
(perceived social pressure from others to perform a behavior), and PBC (Ajzen, 1991), all with
respective underlying beliefs [5]. By changing underlying beliefs, the TPB constructs (attitudes,
subjective norm, and PBC) can be modified; intention and behavior will be subsequently altered
[6].
Research model
Figure 2 Proposed research model based on extended TPB
Certain studies scrutinizing green consumer behavior have further developed the TPB by Ajzen
(1991) [4, 7, 8]. Therefore, in this part, the author also embraces the theoretical basis of TPB
[6]. The review of related literature has given rise to the proposed research model, which
consists of 6 factors, namely environmental awareness, attitude, subjective norm, perceived
behavioral control, availability of green products, and intention for green consumption.
Attitude (A)
Subjective Norm
(SA)
Perceived
behavioral control
(PBC)
Intention (I)
Behavior
(BV)
Environmental awareness EA)
Attitude (A)
Subjective norm (SN)
Perceived behavioral control (PBC)
Availability of green products (PA)
Intention for green consumption (I)
Green consumer
behavior (GBV)
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Research methodology
Data collection
The primary data of this study was collected by using a detailed online questionnaire, which
was then emailed to or sent via social networking sites and completed by 342 student
respondents of different majors at MRD. The sampling method for this study is the non- probability sampling method or convenience sampling in particular.
Data analysis
The study employs descriptive statistics and frequency analysis to investigate students’ green
consumer behavior in MRD. To evaluate the extent to which the respondents agreed with items,
the authors used descriptive statistics for items of the scales for contributing factors to green
consumer behavior. Then, so as to eliminate inappropriate items, the author proceeded to
evaluate the aforementioned scales using the Cronbach’s Alpha, then utilizing exploratory
factor analysis (EFA), researched the factors that affect green consumer behavior, as well as
resorted to multivariate regression analysis to estimate the extent to which these factors affect
students’ green consumer behavior.
Instrument
All the variables used in this research were measured by the 5-point Likert scale, ranging from
1- totally disagree to 5- totally agree. Items were adapted from Rustam et al. (2020), Tripathi
and Singh (2016), Sikandar (2021), Wu and Chen (2014), and Emekci (2019) [10,11,12,13,14],
which is illustrated in Table 1.
RESEARCH RESULTS AND KEY FINDINGS
Cronbach’s Alpha Testing
By applying exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to find out the determinants affecting green
consumption behavior, the scale reliability test needs to be taken. The scales will be tested using
Cronbach's Alpha because Cronbach's Alpha test will help eliminate observed variables or
unsatisfactory scales for further analysis. According to Hair et al. (2012), when the Cronbach's
Alpha coefficient of the item is greater than 0.6 and the corrected item - total correlation is
greater than 0.3, the observed items in the scale are reliable and suitable for exploratory factor
analysis (EFA) [9].
There were 342 respondents who provided answers to 24 criteria of 6 factors to students’
green consumer behavior. By checking Cronbach's Alpha, the authors could identify 2 items
whose corrected item - total correlation is below 0.3 and thus, were eliminated. Specifically,
EA5 - Humans have to live harmoniously with Nature for their long survival, and SN1 - My
decision to buy something is influenced by my family were taken out because they had a
corrected item - total correlation < 0.3. After the elimination of EA5 and SN1, the remaining 22
criteria were eligible for the EFA (see Table 1).
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Phuong, T. T. A., & Cam, N. M. N. (2022). Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Archives
of Business Research, 10(11). 209-221.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.1011.13472
Table 1: Scale reliability testing
Items Explanation
Corrected
Item-Total
Correlation
Cronbach’s
Alpha if item
Deleted
Awareness Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,681
EA1 I’m very worried about the environment, both now and
in the future 0,561 0,579
EA2 Humans are abusing the environment 0,509 0,607
EA3 When humans intervene in natural processes there are
adverse consequences. 0,421 0,640
EA4 Ecological balance is very fragile 0,463 0,618
EA5 Humans have to live harmoniously with Nature for their
long survival 0,266 0,702
Attitude towards green consumption (A) Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,855
A1 I support green consumption 0,763 0,762
A2 I love green consumption 0,749 0,776
A3 Green consumption is a good idea to tackle pollution 0,670 0,851
Subjective norm Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,716
SN1 My decision to buy something is influenced by my family. 0,263 0,758
SN2 Most of my family members and relatives think that I
should buy green products 0,532 0,644
SN3 Mass media (newspapers, radio, TV, the Internet, etc.) are
providing a lot of information about green products. 0,539 0,641
SN4 The Government is encouraging everyone to buy green
products 0,554 0,639
SN5 Many people around me are using green products 0,522 0,649
Perceived behavioral control (PBC) Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,753
PBC1 I have enough time to research and consider buying
green products. 0,545 0,697
PBC2 I can buy green products if I need 0,502 0,720
PBC3 I think it’s easy to buy green products 0,588 0,674
PBC4 I have enough resources (money, time, knowledge)
necessary to begin green consumption 0,561 0,689
Availability of Green Product (PA) Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,679
PA1 It’s inconvenient to replace ordinary products with. 0,406 0,649
PA2 Green products are not available at normal stores 0,542 0,560
PA3 I honestly don’t know where to buy green products 0,444 0,624
PA4 I find it challenging to recognize green products 0,456 0,617
Purchasing Intention Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,882
I1 I/ my family will buy green products because they cause
less pollution 0,769 0,843
I2 I am/ my family is willing to buy green products for
myself and our family 0,797 0,810
I3 I’ll try hard to buy green products 0,763 0,844
Green Consumption Behavior (GBV) Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,734
GBV1 I will keep buying green products in the future 0,581 _
GBV2 I will recommend that my friends and family buy green
products 0,581 _
(Source: Result from EFA analyzed by SPSS 20, 2020)
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Exploratory Factor Analysis
EFA of independent variables
According to the first exploratory factor analysis, PBC1 - I have enough time to research and
consider buying green products was rejected due to factor loading PBC1 = 0.480 < 0.5, which is
statistically insignificant. When the second exploratory factor analysis was conducted, PA2 –
Green products are not available at normal stores was rejected as its factor loading violated
the convergence principle (two different values on the same row) and the difference of factor
loading was smaller than 0.3 (0.520 - 0.517 < 0.3). The study continued with the third
exploratory factor analysis with results for the remaining 20 criteria, which were divided into
5 groups of factors affecting green consumer behavior.
Table 2: KMO and Bartlett’s Test Result
KMO. 0,812
Bartlett's test of sphericity
Approx. Chi - square 1223,997
Df 190
Sig. 0,000
(Source: Results of survey data processed by SPSS 20, 2020)
The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy indicated the proportion of variance in
variables that might be caused by underlying factors. High values (close to 1.0) generally
indicate that a factor analysis may be useful with the data. If the value is less than 0.50, the
results of the factor analysis probably will not be very appropriate. Bartlett's test of sphericity
tests the hypothesis that the correlation matrix is an identity matrix, which would indicate that
the variables are unrelated and therefore unsuitable for structure detection. Small values (less
than 0.05) of the significance level indicate that a factor analysis may be useful with research
data.
The Bartlett test considers the following hypotheses:
- H0: The variables are not correlated with each other
- H1: The variables are correlated with each other.
According to Hoang Trong and Chu Nguyen Mong Ngoc (2005), in Bartlett's test to check the
correlation in the population, the variables are correlated with Significance P.value value <0.05.
Analysis results show that, Barlett test = 1223,997 and P.value = 0.000 <0.05. Therefore, we can
reject hypothesis H0 and accept hypothesis H1, which means that the observed variables are
linearly correlated with the dependent factors.
As seen from Table 3, the results from the EFA abide by all conditions, which are (1) test of the
appropriateness of the model (0,5 < KMO = 0.812 < 1,0); (2) KMO and Bartlett’s Test
investigating the correlation of observable variables (Sig. = 0.000 < 0.05), which confirms that
the variables are closely correlated; (3) AVE = 63.066% of the data variation.
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Phuong, T. T. A., & Cam, N. M. N. (2022). Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Archives
of Business Research, 10(11). 209-221.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.1011.13472
Table 3: Exploratory Factor Analysis (Rotated component matrix)
Items Component
G1 G2 G3 G4 G5
Group 1 – Attitude towards green consumption (AG - Regroup)
AG1 – I support green consumption (from A1) 0.824
AG2 – I/ my family will buy green products because
they cause less pollution (from I1)
0.803
AG3 – I love green consumption (from A2) 0.750
AG4– Green consumption is a good idea to tackle
pollution (from A3)
0.743
AG5 – I am/ my family is willing to buy green
products for myself and family (I2)
0.711
AG6 – We’ll try hard to buy green products (I3) 0.707
Group 2 – Subjective norm (SN)
SN5 – Many people around me are using green
products
0.797
SN3 – Mass media (newspapers, radio, TV, the
Internet, etc.) are providing a lot of information
about green products
0.733
SN2 – Most of my family members and relatives
think that I should buy green products
0.678
SN4 – The Government is encouraging everyone to
buy green products
0.652
Group 3 – Environmental awareness (EA)
EA4 – Ecological balance is very fragile 0.796
EA3 – When humans intervene in natural processes
there are adverse consequences.
0.788
EA1 – I’m very worried about the environment,
both now and in the future
0.601
EA2 – Humans are abusing the environment 0.529
Group 4 – Perceived behavioral control (PBC)
PBC3 – I think it’s easy to buy green products 0.833
PBC4 – I have enough resources (money, time,
knowledge) necessary to begin green consumption
0.678
PBC2 – I can buy green products if I need 0.634
Group 5 – Availability of green products (PA)
PA3 – I honestly don’t know where to buy green
products
0.742
PA4 – I find it challenging to recognize green
products
0.679
PA1 – It’s inconvenient to replace ordinary
products with green products
0.660
KMO coefficient 0.812
Eigen value 1.178
63.066
0.000
Average Variance Extracted
Sig.
(Source: Result from EFA analyzed by SPSS 20, 2020)
EFA results showed that there are 5 groups (after re-group) that affect green consumer
behavior, namely (1) Attitude towards green consumption, (2) Subjective norm, (3)
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Environmental awareness, (4) Perceived behavioral control, and (5) Availability of green
products. As such, the research model was modified as follows.
Figure 3 Modified research model of Extended TPB by authors
Based on the modified research model and the literature review, the hypotheses are as follows.
- Hypothesis H1: The attitude towards green consumption has a positive impact on green
consumer behavior.
- Hypothesis H2: The subjective norm has a positive impact on green consumer behavior.
- Hypothesis H3: Environmental awareness has a positive impact on green consumer behavior.
- Hypothesis H4: The attitude towards green consumption has a positive impact on green
consumer behavior.
- Hypothesis H5: The availability of green products has a positive impact on green consumer
behavior.
EFA of dependent variable - green consumer behavior
Similar to the independent variables, the dependent one, which is the intention to use eco- friendly drinking straws, was evaluated with regard to three criteria and the exploratory factor
analysis (EFA). The results are shown in Table 4 featuring (1) the measure of sampling
adequacy (0.5 < KMO = 0.5 < 0.1), (2) Bartlett’s test on the correlation of observing variables
(Sig.= 0.000 < 0.05), (3) Total variance explained = 79.050% (>50%), which met the
requirements. Besides, all factor loading coefficients were larger than 0.5. In brief, three criteria
have been combined into an umbrella factor that met all requirements and had been justified
by the EFA.
Table 4: Exploratory factor analysis results of the green consumer behavior
Criteria Factor loading
GBV1 – I will buy more green products in the future 0.889
I1 – I will recommend that my friends and family buy green products 0.889
KMO coefficient 0.500
Eigenvalue 1.581
Total variance explained 79.050
Sig. 0.000
(Source: Result from EFA analyzed by SPSS 20, 2020)
Environmental awareness (EA)
Attitude towards green consumption
(AG)
Subjective norm (SN)
Perceived behavioral control (PBC)
Availability of green products (PA)
Green
consumer
behavior
+ (GBV)
+
+
+
+
+
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Phuong, T. T. A., & Cam, N. M. N. (2022). Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Archives
of Business Research, 10(11). 209-221.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.1011.13472
Regression results
Linear regression analysis was applied to determine the causal relations among independent
variables, including attitude to green consumption, subjective norm, environmental awareness,
perceived behavioral control, availability of green products, and the dependent variable of
green consumer behavior. The results are as follows.
Table 5: Linear regression analysis results of independent variables
Unstandardized
coefficients
Standardized
coefficients t Significance
Multi-collinearity
B Standard
deviation Beta Tolerance VIF
Constant 0,090 0,427 _ 0,210 0.834 _ _
Attitude towards green
consumption (AG) 0,468 0,093 0,400 5,057 0.000* 0,558 1,791
Subjective norm (SN) 0,219 0,054 0,249 4,068 0.000* 0,929 1,077
Environmental
awareness (EA) 0,208 0,079 0,183 2,650 0.009* 0,732 1,366
Perceived behavioral
control (PBC) 0,175 0,078 0,164 2,253 0.026 0,654 1,529
Availability of green
products (PA) -0,089 0,062 -0,085 -1,429 0.155 0,976 1,024
R2 0.526
Adjusted R2 0.509
Sig. F 0.000
Durbin – Watson
Coefficient
2.038
(Source: Result from data analyzed by SPSS 20, 2020)
The regression results show that the adjusted R2 of this model was 0.509, signifying that
independent variables added to this model could be used to explain about 50.9% of the
variation of dependent variables; the remaining 49.1% could be elaborated by factors that were
not in the model. Besides, the Durbin – Watson coefficient (d) = 2.038 (approximately 2)
indicated that there was no autocorrelation; no VIF values of analyzing variables were greater
than 10, which meant there was no record of multi-collinearity; the Sig value of the F-test was
0.000 < 0,05. Therefore, the linear regression analysis model was appropriate for the study.
As shown in Table 5, among the 5 factors affecting the green consumer behavior, SC (the
availability of green products) got the significance of 0.155 > 0.05, thus it was not statistically
significant in this model. With all variables standardized, the regression equation showing the
relations between dependent variables of green consumption with its independent ones:
attitude to green consumption, subjective norm, environmental awareness, perceived
behavioral control is as follows.
Y Green consumption behavior = 0.4 AG + 0.249 SN + 0.183 EA + 0.164 PBC
The regression results show that the beta coefficients of 4 independent variables were all
greater than 0, which means they had a positive impact on the GBV – the green consumer
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behavior, with the validity of 95%. Based on the standardized beta coefficient, Attitude to green
consumption (AG) got the greatest beta coefficient. In other words, compared to other
variables, this one made the most noticeable influence on green consumer behavior, followed
by subjective norm (SB), environmental awareness (EA), and perceived behavioral control
(PBC), respectively. The regression results demonstrated that 4 elements namely attitude to
green consumption, subjective norm, environmental awareness, perceived behavioral control
had a positive influence on the green consumer behavior with the validity of 95%.
DISCUSSIONS
Among the variables featured in the model, attitude towards green consumption is the most
impactful factor toward the green consumer behavior with the adjusted beta coefficient of 0.4
and the significance of 5%. That is to say, if the variable of a student’s attitude to green
consumption increased by 1 unit, that of the green consumer behavior would gain 0.4 unit
under the condition that other factors stay unchanged. Indeed, attitude plays an important role
in determining human behaviors. Particularly, the attitude to a specific object (green
consumption) may show that a person has a positive view of the product, which catalyzes the
buying behavior. Hence, this factor demonstrates the buyer's trust and expectations for the
product or the opposite.
Subjective norm is the second most impactful factor in the model with a beta coefficient of 0.249
and a significance of 5%. That means if the variable of subjective norm went up by 1 unit, that
of the green consumer behavior would gain 0.249 unit under the condition that other factors
stay unchanged. Subjective norm are external factors that influence consumer behavior. In this
model, they included influences from family, friends, people around, the government, etc.
Among them, as shown in the EFA results, most of the factors that affected the social norms
were the environment, the surrounding community, and information provided by the mass
media. This reflects the cultural-historical features as a member of a community will be likely
to be affected by other peers. Therefore, the claim that the objective norms may encourage the
buying behavior is acceptable.
According to the regression equation results, the coefficient for the factor of environmental
awareness was 0.183 with the significance level of 5%, which confirms that if environmental
awareness increased by 1 unit, the green consumer behavior would also go up by 0.183 unit
under the condition that other factors stay fixed. The survey revealed that a majority of
respondents had fostered keen environmental awareness, which was synonymous with their
considerable knowledge of the natural environment. Due to the current situation of
contamination and degradation, many nations and international bodies have set environmental
issues on top of their agenda. This scrupulous attention and acute awareness of the global
environment have affected the personal understanding of these matters, leading to the usage
of eco-friendly products. Thanks to the awareness of environmental conservation, consumers
are increasingly more concerned about whether the products they choose may leave a negative
imprint on the environment. Accordingly, the higher the consumer environmental awareness
is, the more common the green consumer behavior becomes.
Perceived behavioral control is the least impactful factor to the green consumer behavior
compared to the others. The beta coefficient of this factor was 0.164 with the significance level
of 5%. It means if the variable of this factor went up by 1 unit, that of the green consumer
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Phuong, T. T. A., & Cam, N. M. N. (2022). Green Consumption Behavior and Norms of Adults: A Case from the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Archives
of Business Research, 10(11). 209-221.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.1011.13472
behavior would gain 0.164 unit under the condition that other factors stay unchanged. The
perceived behavioral control reflects a person's judgment on whether a behavior is easy or
difficult and if he or she has the resources to show it. When consumers know they have
sufficient resources (in terms of finance, time, etc.), they will be likely to display the green
consumer behavior, unlike when they felt short of resources or the behavior is too challenging.
Table 6. Hypothesis testing results
Hypothese
s
Elaboration Sign Results
H1 The attitude to green consumption has a positive
impact on the green consumer behavior
+
Supported
H2 The subjective norm has a positive impact on green
consumer behavior
+
Supported
H3 Environmental awareness has a positive impact on
green consumer behavior.
+
Supported
H4 The perceived behavioral control has a positive
impact on green consumer behavior. + Supported
H5 The availability of green products has a positive
impact on green consumer behavior NA Irrelevant
(Source: Summarized from research results, 2020)
MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Improving the attitude towards green consumption
The findings reveal that the factor of attitude to green consumption created a positive effect,
even the most impactful one, on students' green consumer behaviors. Therefore, it is necessary
to improve their attitude to green consumption through practical activities such as organizing
green market sessions, seminars on safe vegetables, as well as environmental fairs, and making
green products featured in exhibitions, trade fairs, and green startup and environmental
resilience-oriented events, etc. to capture more students’ attention into the sustainable co- development of the economy and environment. When students have a good attitude and
interest, they will support green consumption and participate. Hence, this is one of the effective
factors to motivate students to embrace green consumption in their daily life.
Raising the environmental awareness
The factor of environmental awareness had a positive impact on the students’ green consumer
behavior, so it is necessary to assimilate more information about the current issues with the
environment and the benefits of green consumption for more resilient environmental
development. Thereby, more people will acquire deeper insights and their awareness will also
be considerably improved. An easy but effective way is to spread the information on forums or
channels which are popular among the youth, for instance, social networking sites, websites, e- newspaper with a vivid interface and easy-to-use navigation.
Organizing programs on green consumption
The factor of subjective norm was among those positively influencing students’ green consumer
behavior. Therefore, there should be media campaigns or policies to motivate people to use
green products. As a result, this is likely to create a trend that attracts new customers in green
consumption. To boost green consumption among students and office workers, new regulations
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and messages can be introduced in the workplace or schools. For example, it may be a
regulation on minimizing plastic usage. The practice would be popularized to other people such
as friends, colleagues, and even family, which contributes to a greater awareness of protecting
the environment and using eco-friendly products.
Develop the green products
Besides, the factor of perceived behavioral control also imprints a positive effect on the
students' green consumer behavior. Students should be facilitated to feel that they have
sufficient resources to display green consumer behavior. The facilitation should be applied to
such resources as time, finance, and knowledge. For example, product information should be
transparently displayed on the packaging, the product price should be acceptable for a wide
range of consumers, especially students, more online shopping platforms, and new payment
methods should be introduced for convenience. Other solutions include applying a clean and
healthy manufacturing process, producing reusable or recyclable products, together with
minimizing disposable ones.
CONCLUSIONS
This study aims at analyzing factors affecting the students’ green consumer behavior. Their
green consumer behavior mostly manifests through practices such as buying recyclable or
reusable products, using organic or energy-saving ones. Besides, students still have a habit of
using plastic bags as reusable products on a daily basis. This will tremendously impact the
environment as they decompose too slowly. However, it is seemingly impossible to avoid plastic
bags because they are low-cost and common.
As revealed in the findings, there are four factors affecting students’ green consumer behavior:
(1) Attitude to green consumption, (2) Subjective norm, (3) Environmental awareness, (4)
Perceived behavioral control. Among them, the most impactful factor is the attitude towards
green consumption. Followed by subjective norm, environmental awareness, and perceived
behavioral control respectively.
This study also suggests some solutions to improve the understanding and promote green
consumption as a habit of consumers such as: assimilating information about green
consumption, improving public environmental awareness, equipping them with better insights
into green products in the market, innovating products so that they meet the demands for
convenience and acceptable prices.
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