Should I Pay More? The Relationship Between Normative Beliefs and Willingness-to-Pay for Organic and Local Products

Abstract

Messages promoting the environmental movement try to establish normative beliefs (NBs), stressing that consumers should purchase and be willing to pay more for products that do not harm the environment. Through two studies measuring willingness-to-pay (WTP) intentions and WTP behavior, NBs do relate positively to WTP intentions for organic products. However, NBs do not relate positively to actual WTP directly, nor do they relate indirectly through the mediating role of WTP intentions. These same results are found for locally produced offerings, suggesting that those who rely on NBs to bioect WTP behavior may only be successful in increasing WTP intentions.

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Notes on contributors

Melissa M. Bishop

Melissa M. Bishop (Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington), Assistant Professor of Marketing, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, [email protected].

Nelson A. Barber

Nelson A. Barber (Ph.D., Texas Tech University), Associate Professor of Hospitality Management, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, [email protected].