Sailing green : a protection motivation analysis of green consumption choices in China

Abstract

Many Chinese consumers experience environmental problems like air and water pollution first-hand - does that lead them to making greener consumption choices? We aim to show the suitability of Protection Motivation Theory for such environmental research and to increase the understanding of how Chinese consumers perceive green product attributes. In particular, this research examines Chinese consumers’ perception of threat and coping mechanisms regarding environmental threats and investigates their predictive power for intention and behavior to make green consumption choices. In co-operation with the Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten, a conjoint analysis measures the relevance and actual price tag consumers put on green product attributes in a choice-situation with multiple product attributes. We find high levels of intention to engage in environmentally friendly behavior, but those intentions translate into green consumption choices only for a minority of consumers. For the majority, there exists a significant Value-Action Gap, especially when green choices involve negative tradeoffs on other attributes. For 43% of respondents in our sample, the gap from intention to behavior does not narrow even when they perceive an environmental threat as a both real and solvable. Companies marketing green products should pay attention to segmentation as some consumers expect substantial price premiums and others expect discounts for green product attributes. For public policy makers, our results suggest that consumer behavior does not change, and demand for green products does not grow, all by itself. To encourage such change, future campaigns should aim at modifying perceptions of green product attributes rather than increasing behavioral intention or knowledge about a threat.