The Influences of Perceived Environmental Responsibilities on Green Purchasing Intentions

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The current study examined the influences of perceived environmental responsibilities of the three types of important social agents (individuals, companies, and governments) on consumers’ green purchasing intentions. Drawing on the environmental consumerism and purchase decision making literature, consumers’ perceptions of the aforementioned social agents’ roles in environment protection were hypothesized to influence their purchase intentions for green products. In addition, the current study attempted to investigate the different prediction patterns of such factors for two different purchase intention measures (e.g., general purchase intention and “willingness to pay more” for green products) to capture the nuance between the different measurement scales, which has been ignored in the green purchasing literature. An analysis of the nationally representative 2009 Experian Simmons National Consumer Study revealed that perceived personal norm of the environment was the strongest predictor of general purchase intention for green products, whereas perceived role of governmental regulation on green issues was the strongest predictor of “willingness to pay more.” Theoretical, managerial, and regulatory implications are discussed.