Are Retail Investors in Emerging Economies SRI Ready?

Abstract

Socially responsible investment (SRI) is a contemporary idea to describe investing that incorporates social, ethical and environmental dimensions. Under the Theory of Planned Behaviour lens, the current study examines the role of attitude, subjective norm, perceived control behaviour and moral norms in explaining retail investors’ investment intention towards SRI. The study adopted the quantitative approach of research and gathered the required data using the judgmental sampling method. This research uses structural equation modelling to present a model that better explains the role of attitude, subjective norm, perceived control behaviour and moral norms in understanding retail investors’ investment intentions for SRI. The current study proposes and successfully validates the use of subjective financial literacy as a perceived control behaviour variable in studying the investment intention of SRI. The finding suggests that retail investors’ intention to invest in SRI is significantly positively influenced by attitude, subjective norms, moral norms and subjective financial literacy.