Green consumption: consumer behavior after an environmental tragedy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify whether there is a difference in the environmentally‐conscious consumer behavior (ECCB) of a region directly impacted by an environmental tragedy, as compared to the ECCB of non-impacted regions. We empirically tested the main argument of the protection motivation theory, through the design of a structural model, based on the literature, that was estimated with cross-sectional data, which allowed us to distinguish the effects of both green behavior and perceived consumer effectiveness on the ECCB from both regions. Our model also considers the antecedents of both green behavior and perceived consumer effectiveness, thereby attempting to accurately model the complex process of forming the ECCB in a context of environmental tragedy. Using a sample of 420 individuals from an impacted region, and 394 individuals from non-impacted regions, results show that perceived consumer effectiveness affects the ECCB only in the impacted region. In this region, perceived consumer effectiveness is strongly influenced by ecological attitudes compared to environmental concern and external motivators. Conversely, green behavior affects the ECCB more in the non-impacted regions. Our evidence suggests that, after experiencing an environmental tragedy, consumers began to reflect on the effects of their consumption, which in turn influenced the ECCB. However, the effect of their green actions on their consumption behavior seems to decrease in the impacted region relative to the non-impacted regions.

Keywords:

• environmental tragedy
• protection motivation theory
• Doce Valley river tragedy
• environmentally‐conscious consumer behavior

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/Brazil), project 304209/2018-0, by Foundation for Research Support of Espírito Santo (FAPES/Brazil), projects 84513772 (599/2018) and 85395650 (228/2019), by Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT/Portugal) through NECE (Núcleo de Estudos em Ciências Empresariais), project UID/GES/04630/2020, and by IFTS (Instituto Fucape de Tecnologias Sociais), project 2018-2021.