Social influence and green consumption behaviour: a need for greater government involvement

ABSTRACT

Within the green marketing literature, there has been a tendency to focus on the individual when explaining green consumption behaviours (GCBs) rather than looking at the wider social factors that may influence green practices. The main objective of this article is to gain a greater understanding of how consumers’ GCBs are influenced by the social environment, within a social cognitive framework. A total of 20 individual interviews and 10 joint interviews took place with consumers who did not always behave in accordance with their pro-environmental values, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Our analysis shows how consumers’ GCBs are influenced by other individuals; however, if we want to see a greater commitment to green consumption practices, government bodies need to take a more active role.

KEYWORDS:

• Social influence
• social cognitive theory
• green consumption

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Micael-Lee Johnstone

Micael-Lee Johnstone holds a PhD from the University of Otago. She is a senior lecturer in the School of Marketing and International Business at Victoria University and teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Her research interests lie in the field of consumer behaviour, specifically motherhood and consumption, sustainable consumption and retail marketing. Micael-Lee’s publications have appeared in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Marketing Management and Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.

Stephanie Hooper

Stephanie Hooper graduated with a Master of Commerce from Victoria University and is currently working as a Marketing Executive in London. Stephanie has a strong interest in sustainability and green consumerism, and is still actively involved in green consumption research.