米国消費者のグリーンコンシューマー行動意図促進要因 : 環境への義務か格好良さの追求か

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1 Obligation to the Environment or Pursuit of Stylish Lifestyle: Which is More Important as a Determinant Factor for Intention of Green Consumer Behavior in the United States 米国消費者のグリーンコンシューマー行動意図促進要因 : 環境への義務か格好良さの追求か Kazumi WAKITA * and Taro OISHI ** 脇田 和美 大石 太郎 Abstract: This study explores norms and attitudes that US consumers have for the environment, and examines how those would influence their intention of green consumer behavior using factor analysis and structural equation modelling. In exploring this, a web questionnaire survey was conducted, and 700 responses from US consumers were analyzed. The results indicate that Pursuit of stylish lifestyle has positive influence on Environment-conscious green consumer behavior, whereas influence of Obligation to the environment on Environment-conscious green consumer behavior was not significant statistically. Based on the above findings, to promote green consumer behavior in the US, an approach which emphasizes stylishness of eco-friendly lifestyle would be more effective than an approach such as environmental education to promote obligation to the environment. Key Words: intention of green consumer behavior, determinant factor, obligation, stylish lifestyle, structural equation modelling (SEM), US consumers 要旨 : 本研究は 米国消費者が環境に関して有する規範や態度がグリーンコンシューマー行動意図に与える影響について分析した 米国消費者 700 名のウェブアンケート調査結果に対して因子分析および共分散構造分析を行った結果 格好良いライフスタイルの追求がグリーンコンシューマー行動につながる要因であることが示された 一方 環境への義務は同行動につながる要因であるとはいえないことが示された 米国でグリーンコンシューマー行動意図を促進するためには 環境教育等による環境への義務感の向上といったアプローチより 環境に配慮したライフスタイルの格好良さを強調するアプローチが効果的だと考えられる キーワード : グリーンコンシューマー行動意図, 決定要因, 義務, 格好良さ, 共分散構造分析, 米国消費者 INTRODUCTION Sustainable use of limited resources is one of the ways that support environmental management for sustainable development. In this context, choices of goods by people can contribute to sustainable development, if they choose goods which are more environmentally friendly than others. Hence, it is important to explore determinant factors which promote people s ethical behavior to purchase pro-environmental goods for better environmental management. Green consumer behavior is known as one of the pro-environmental behaviors by people. The green consumer, introduced by Elkington and Hailes (1988), is interpreted as people who select goods which have been produced in a way that protects natural environment or buy goods from corporates which are more environmentally friendly. The green consumer behavior has been expanded worldwide through provision of tools to encourage it, such as Green Consumer Guide (Elkington and Hailes, 1988) in the United Kingdom, Shopping for better world (Council on Economic Priorities, 1989) in the United States (US), and Guide for shopping: This store is good for environment (Kyoto Citizen Council for waste problems, 1991) in Japan. Actual changes of sales ranking of corporates by the Guide for shopping to be friendly to the earth has also been reported (Green consumer network, 1994). In this study, determinant factors promoting intention of green consumer behavior are explored within a context of pro-environmental behavior research. Notable research has accummulated, and one of the most well-known and frequently used models is the theory of planned behavior developed by Fishbien and Ajzen (1975). It predicts behavioral intention from attitudes with viewpoint of self-interest as an important motive. Another major * School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University ** Faculty of Social and Environmental Studies, Fukuoka Institute of Technology 環境情報科学学術研究論文集 30(2016) 85

2 model is norm activation model developed by Shwartz (1977). It predicts behavioral intention based on norm with viewpoint of concern for others as an important motive. After several decades of them, Fulton et al. (1996) developed cognitive hierarchy model of human behavior which shows hierarchical structure between attitudes and norms and behavioral intentions among others. In more recent years, Bamberg and Moser (2007) developed an integrated model of those by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) and Schwartz (1977). Among numerous model predicting intention of pro-environmental behavior, this study use simple model examining relationships between attitudes and norms and behavioral intentions, following the hierarchical structure of Fulton et al. (1996). In this study, attitudes and norms are focused as key concepts which predict intention of green consumer behavior, as is pointed out by Bamberg and Moser (2007) that pro-environmental behavior is best viewed as a mixture of self-interest and of concern for others. Through applying this model, this study aims at examining which is more influential on promoting intention of green consumer behaivor, attitudes or norms. Before going to detail of this study, terminology should be clarified. In this study, term attitudes and norms are the two key words. First, attitudes mean a mental state and must refer to some object, as is explained by Eagly and Chaiken (1993). Also, as is descirbed by Vaske and Donnelly (1999), attitudes represent an individual s consistent tendency to respond favorably or unfavorably toward the object. Second, norms have two major types, namely the injunctive norms and the presonal norms, as is distinguished by Cialdini et al. (1990, 1991). And in this study, norms mean the personal norms. Why neglecting the injunctive norm in this study is because injunctive norm is considered having less direct influence on intention of behavior for purchasing than the personal norm, as is shown by Minton and Rose (1997). Regarding previous research on determinant factors which would influence the green consumer behavior, numerous has accumulated. Some clarify influences of attribute such as sex, age, and annual income to promote the green consumer behavior (Laroche et al., 2001; Lee, 2009; Oishi, 2009), some find out relationships between environmental awareness and knowledge and the green consumer behavior (Schlegelmilch et al., 1996; Tilikidou, 2006), and others explore how people s attitudes, such as materialism and tendencies of information media use would influence the green consumer behavior (Aoyagi, 2001; Shrum et al., 1995). Some previous literature exploring relationships between norms and consumer behavior exist. For example, Al-Swidi et al. (2014) examines relationships between norms and buying intention toward organic food by university faculties and students in Pakistan. Neale and Fullerton (2010) explores international difference of norms on acceptance of illegal behavior by consumers. However, research which compare significance of influence by attitudes and by norms on intention of green consumer behavior is limited. Result of the research would be useful in developing marketing strategy to promote green consumer behavior. Thus, this study focuses on attitudes and norms, and examine which is more influential on promoting intention of green consumer behaivor in the US. 1. METHODS 1.1 Sample and design A self-explanatory web-based questionnaire was distributed to residents of the US by a research company. The questionnaire was distributed to members registered to a web-based research company in the US which is affiliate company of a Japanese web-based research company named Cross Marketing Inc. Data for this study were ultimately obtained from 700 responses from individuals in the US. The targeted respondents were from twenty to sixty-nine years of age. Responses were stratified in accordance with the age and sex demographics of each State, based on data from Age and Sex composition in the US: ). Population of the US in 2012 and corresponding respondents of questionnaire by age and sex are shown in Table 1. The distribution of the questionnaire and the collection of responses were completed from February, Questionnaire items used in this study were developed based on literature review on green 86 環境情報科学学術研究論文集 30(2016)

3 consumer behavior (Green consumer network, 1994; Oishi et al., 2012; Oishi, 2015). Ten questionnaire items on green consumer behavior (Q1_1~Q1_10) and eight items on attitudes and norms on the environment (Q2_1~Q2_8) were administered to respondents (Table 2). The respondents were asked to choose one of five degrees, which is closest to their thoughts on each item. A five-point Likert-type scale was utilized in the questionnaire for the five degrees of consent, labeled as 1=strongly agreed, 2=agreed, 3=neither, 4=disagreed, and 5=strongly disagreed Statistical analysis and proposed model Data were analyzed in two stages. At the first stage, a factor analysis was conducted using SPSS Statistics Version 21 to examine hidden factors of respondents attitudes and norms on the environment. To assess the degree of consistency among the variables in a summated factor, a reliability analysis was also conducted. At the second stage, SPSS Statistics AMOS Version 20 was used to assess the goodness-of-fit for a proposed Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) on causal relationships among norms and values on the environment by respondents and the green consumer behavior. 2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 2.1 Factor analysis Two underlying factors were identified by conducting a factor analysis using Promax with Kaiser normalization, and maximum-likelihood method as the extracting method with the variables related to green consumer behavior, i.e., Q1 in Table 2. Only factors with an eigenvalue of 1 or Table 1 Population of the US in 2012 and respondents of questionnaire by age and sex Age Male Female Total ,417,000 21,355,000 42,772,000 (75) (75) (150) ,455,000 20,011,000 39,466,000 (69) (71) (140) ,839,000 21,532,000 42,371,000 (73) (76) (149) ,785,000 22,058,000 42,843,000 (73) (78) (151) ,739,000 16,362,000 31,101,000 (52) (58) (110) Total 97,235, ,318, ,553,000 (342) (358) (700) Note: Upper line of each row indicates population, lower line with parenthesis indicates number of respondents. No. Q1_1 Q1_2 Q1_3 Q1_4 Q1_5 Q1_6 Q1_7 Q1_8 Q1_9 Q1_10 Q2_1 Q2_2 Q2_3 Q2_4 Q2_5 Q2_6 Q2_7 Q2_8 Table 2 Questionnaire items Items I try to buy only the things I need. I try to avoid buying products that have excessive packaging. I avoid disposable products and try to select and purchase reusable products instead. When purchasing kitchen or laundry products, I avoid synthetic detergents and try to purchase naturally derived products such as soap. I make an effort to select products that indicate in their labels that it is eco-friendly. When purchasing vegetables and fruits, I try to purchase chemical-free or organically grown produce. When purchasing a computer, I try to purchase from a store that has a recycle/trade-in program. When purchasing facial tissue or toilet paper, I try to purchase re-cycled paper products. When purchasing food, I try my best to purchase locally grown produce. When shopping, I try to shop at stores or from manufacturers that are actively engaged in environmental measures. If I were to live without considering the environment, I would be conscious of the public gaze. If I were to live without considering the environment, I would feel guilty even if no one was watching. Even if it means a drop in standards of living, we have a responsibility to leave adequate resources for future generations. Even if it means a drop in standards of living, we have a responsibility to protect rare, threatened and endangered wildlife. Even if it means a drop in standards of living, we have a responsibility to protect ordinary creatures such as birds and squirrels. Hybrid or electric automobiles are cooler than conventional gasoline-powered automobiles. A simple lifestyle with little waste is more stylish than a lavish lifestyle An eco-tour that is environment-friendly and in touch with nature is more refined than an extravagant trip. 環境情報科学学術研究論文集 30(2016) 87

4 above were retained (Kaiser-Gutmann retention criterion). Variables were retained if their rotated loadings were above the threshold value of 0.4. The final results are shown in Table 3. Rotated factor loadings were used to identify relevant variables to be used in the construction of latent variables for the SEM. With factor 1 loadings, the authors constructed an index named Environment-conscious green consumer behavior. Items from factor 2 loadings form an index named Waste-conscious green consumer behavior. In the same manner, a factor analysis was also conducted for the eight items of Q2. Q2_2 was omitted because its rotated loading was lower than 0.4. Two underlying factors related to attitudes and norms on the environment were identified as shown in Table 4. The authors named an index with factor 1 loadings as Obligation to the environment, whereas named an index with factor 2 as Pursuit of stylish lifestyle. The Obligation to the environment is construed as norms, whereas Pursuit of stylish lifestyle is construed as attitudes. 2.2 Reliability analysis Table 5 shows result of the reliability analysis of observed variables. In general, items with corrected item-toal correlations below 0.30 are eliminated. All corrected item-toal correlations surpass 0.30, except Q1_1. The latent construct named waste-conscious green consumer behavior has a Cronbach Alpha Coefficient of 0.57 with increase if variable Q1_1 deleted. However, even if Q1_1 is deleted, Cronbach Alpha Coefficient only incrases to 0.64 which is still below the recommendation of Nunnally and Bernstein s (1994) recommendation of Hence, the latent construct named Waste-conscious green consumer behavior was not used for the SEM. Regarding other latent constructs, namely Environment-conscious green consumer behavior, Obligation to the environment, and Pursuit of stylish lifestyle had Cronbach Alpha Coefficients of 0.88, 0.88, and 0.75 respectively with no increase of any respective variables deleted. Thus, all variables for the three latent constructs were retained, and these were used for the SEM. Table 3 Result of factor analysis for Q1 No. Factor 1 Factor 2 Explained variance Rotated loadings Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Table 4 Result of factor analysis for Q2 No. Factor 1 Factor 2 Explained variance Rotated loadings Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Table 5 Reliability analysis of observed variables Latent constructs and observed variables Corrected items-total correlation Alpha value (for item deletion) Waste-conscious green consumer 0.57 behavior Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Environmentconscious green 0.88 consumer behavior Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Q1_ Obligation to the environment 0.88 Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Pursuit of stylish lifestyle 0.75 Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ Q2_ 環境情報科学学術研究論文集 30(2016)

5 *** indicates significance at the level. Dashed line indicates path that is not significant at 0.05 or better. Fig. 1 Standardized estimated hypothetical model 2.3 Evaluation of proposed Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) Fig. 1 shows the standardized model of relationships among three latent constructs as estimated by AMOS. The goodness-of-fit index (GFI) and the adjusted goodness-of-fit (AGFI) are both good at and 0.910, respectively. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) is which is considered as good fit (Hooper et al., 2008). The explained variance was R 2 = Determinant factors influencing Environment-conscious green consumer behavior A positive path coefficient (0.48) was calculated between Pursuit of stylish lifestyle and Environment-conscious green consumer behavior. On the other hand, path between Obligation to the environment and Environment-consious green consumer behavior was not significant at 0.05 or better. This result shows a possibility that advertisement to emphasize stylishness of eco-frienly lifestyle would be more effective than environmental education to promote obligation to the environment in the US. CONCLUSIONS Based on the data of a questionnaire survey to the consumers in the US, causal relationships between attitudes and norms on the environment and the green consumer behavior were examined. This study shows that the Pursuit of stylish lifestyle by the consumers in the US would have positive influence on promoting their Environment-conscious green consumer behavior. At the same time, Obligation to the environment by the consumers in the US is judged as not important to promote Environment -conscious green consumer behavior. Hence, it is clarified that Pursuit of stylish lifestlye, which is constured as attitudes, is more influential than Obligation to the environment, which is construed as norms, on promoting intention of green consumer behavior in the US. These interpretation can be used for developing more effective marketing strategy to expand green consumer behavior. This study provides above insight which could help further promotion of green consumer behavior in the US. Moreover, through accumulating similar studies, more effective marketing strategy could be developed by understanding determinant factors promoting green consumer behavior, which would be diverse according to attitudes and norms on the environment by the people. Limitation of this study lies that the hypothetical model could only explained 23% of determinant factors influencing Environmentconscious green consumer behavior. Remaining determinant factors should be also explored in further research. NOTES 1) U.S. Census Bureau (Internet release date: December 2013). Age and Sex Composition in the United States: < 環境情報科学学術研究論文集 30(2016) 89

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