Consumers’ evaluations of the efficiency of actions to improve environmental quality: A comparative study between Brazil and China

Abstract

There is a gap in our knowledge about environmentally conscious consumers in industrialized economies and the desire to achieve sustainable economies. Given that most aspects of consumer behaviour are culture bound, this paper contributes by comparing consumers' evaluations of the efficiency of actions to improve environmental quality in two of the most promising industrializing consumer societies: Brazil and China. The proposed conceptual framework includes environmental concerns, perceived consumer effectiveness, green attitudes, green behaviours and external motivators as constructs to explain the perception of efficient environmental support. Field research was conducted in Brazil with 1,149 respondents, and in China with 632 respondents to test the model. The results suggested that the belief that environmental quality can be improved is directly associated with consumers' internal and external motivators. However, cultural traits drove important differences in the evaluation of the efficiency of such improvements. Specifically, Chinese people tended to rely on collective leadership to create the conditions necessary for improving environmental quality, while they remained concerned with the current status. In contrast, Brazilians accepted more personal responsibility for the results, although they face important constraints, such as the availability of products. K E Y W O R D S environmental concerns, cross-cultural comparison, green attitudes, green behaviours, perceived consumer effectiveness

Consumers’ purchase behaviour and green marketing: A synthesis, review and agenda

“…(2017a), Mainardes, Yeh, et al. (2017b) and Wang (2014) observed that change in attitude influences purchase intention but Chowdhury and Samuel (2014) had a contradictory view. Thus, a set of mixed behavioural intentions amongst green customers poses a challenge to green manufacturers and marketers, which requires a proper investigation.…”

Role of pro-environmental post-purchase behaviour in green consumer behaviour

“…The data were collected by self‐administered questionnaires. The questionnaire was prepared by collecting statements from previous studies (Papista et al, 2018; Kim, 2017; Mainardes et al, 2017) and some statements were developed for this study. A pilot study was conducted and based on that the survey instrument was modified.…”

Environmental marketing: acceptance of price premium in the Brazilian apparel industry

“…External Motivators (EM), in turn, include marketing messages, whose goal is to improve awareness of environment weaknesses, as well as advertising of green products and institutional commitment, cause-related marketing, educational campaigns sponsored by government, and the availability of recycling centers and collection points (Mainardes et al, 2017).…”

“…Os motivadores externos incluem mensagens de marketing que têm como objetivo melhorar a conscientização das fraquezas ambientais, bem como a publicidade de produtos verdes, o compromisso institucional, o marketing relacionado a causas, campanhas educacionais patrocinadas pelo governo, além da disponibilidade de centros de reciclagem e de coleta (Mainardes, Yeh & Leal, 2017).…”