902074

research-article20202020
SGOXXX10.1177/2158244020902074SAGE OpenWang et al.

Original Research

SAGE Open

Effect of Green Consumption Value

January-March 2020: 1­–10
© The Author(s) 2020
DOI: 10.1177/2158244020902074
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020902074

on Consumption Intention in a Pro- journals.sagepub.com/home/sgo

Environmental Setting: The Mediating

Role of Approach and Avoidance
Motivation

Jianguo Wang1, Jianming Wang1, and Jian Gao1

Abstract
Based on the theory of consumer values, this study aimed to examine the relationship between green consumption values and
pro-environmental consumption intention by establishing a “value-motivation-intention” model and to check the moderation
effect of green involvement. In total, 741 shoppers were recruited. Data analyses showed that (a) green consumption values
positively influenced pro-environmental consumption intention; (b) the behavioral approach system positively influenced
pro-environmental consumption intention, but the behavioral inhibition system did not; (c) the behavioral approach system
positively mediated the relationship between green consumption values and pro-environmental consumption intention; and
(d) green involvement positively moderated the relationship between green consumption values and pro-environmental
consumption intention.

Keywords
green consumption values, pro-environmental consumption intention, behavior activation system, behavior inhibition system

Introduction change, global warming, and environmental degradation.

This type of behavior has been shown to minimize the nega-
Climate change, industrial pollution, and excessive personal tive impact of one’s actions in the environment through the
consumption have all been increasingly affecting the environ- purchase of organic products that are environmentally bene-
ment and bringing progressively harsher effects on human ficial (Mainieri et al., 1997). Typical pro-environmental con-
life (Carfora et al., 2017; Thøgersen, 2009). Meanwhile, peo- sumption behaviors include the purchase of environmentally
ple’s awareness over the importance of environmental protec- responsible products that minimize environmental impact,
tion has been growing, so much so that it, alongside the goal products from firms with good environmental reputations,
to achieve sustainable development, has been slowly turning and/or products produced using biodegradable, carbon neu-
into a consensus among nations worldwide. Governments tral or recycled inputs, and so on (Cleveland et al., 2012).
and enterprises, as important economic entities, have started Many studies have analyzed pro-environmental consump-
an endeavor toward environmental protection by changing tion behaviors from multiple perspectives, and, although
production methods, developing green products, and adjust- pro-environmental consumer behavior has been more widely
ing environmental protection policies. However, consumers’ studied in recent years, there are still major research prob-
role in environmental protection cannot be ignored; past lems in the subject; we believe that the key to resolve this
research showed that a reduction in environmental hazards problem does not lie within the understanding of what this
produced by consumers by increasing pro-environmental type of behavior is or how to activate it—topics often
consumption behavior was a very significant step toward
environmental protection. Thus, the role of pro-environmen-
tal consumption behavior is very important in the establish- 1
Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Hangzhou, China
ment and maintenance of environmental protection.
Corresponding Author:
Mainieri et al. (1997) defined pro-environmental con- Jian Gao, School of Business Administration, Zhejiang University of
sumption behavior as a type of volunteer behavior that con- Finance & Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China.
sciously seeks to tackle environmental issues, such as climate Email: [email protected]

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2 SAGE Open

explored in previous literature. We identified the research Therefore, other studies have tried to solve this problem and
gap by this question: How do we make pro-environmental turned their research perspectives into understanding how pro-
consumption behavior become not a short-term but a long- environmental consumption behavior can be promoted: One
term behavior? study identified that both psychological and contextual factors
Previous research has found that people’s values are posi- are important variables affecting pro-environmental consump-
tively related to pro-environmental consumption behavior tion behaviors (Ertz et al., 2016). Specifically, the psychologi-
(Stern, 2000). Stern (2000) suggested the values–belief– cal factors that predict pro-environmental consumption
norm theory and divided people’s values into three catego- behavior include environmental attitude, social norms, motiva-
ries: egoism values, altruistic values, and biological values; tion, perceived value (Gifford & Nilsson, 2014; Miao & Wei,
the same author also discussed the relationship between 2013), and personal ethics (Bamberg, 2003). Regarding the
these values and pro-environmental behavior. Chan (2001) contextual factors, they include interpersonal relationships,
used evidence from Chinese consumers and discussed the laws, and the convenience of recycling facilities; the stimula-
effect of a man–nature orientation on pro-environmental tion of consumers’ perceptions regarding such contextual fac-
behavior. Furthermore, people’s values are a relatively stable tors was shown to be able to change their psychological factors,
state of mind, as they tend to remain the same for a certain thereby producing actual pro-environmental consumption
period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the rela- behavior (Guagnano et al., 1995; Steg & Vlek, 2009; Stern,
tionship between values and pro-environmental consump- 2000). In sum, this means that pro-environmental consumption
tion behavior as well as the role of consumer contextual behavior is a result of the interweaving between psychological
factors and personal traits. and contextual factors. Notwithstanding, there are few studies
Thus, this study primarily aimed to explore the mecha- exploring which elements among these factors enable the con-
nisms behind the relationship between green values and pro- tinuous promotion of pro-environmental consumption behav-
environmental consumption behavior, and to analyze the ior, so it is a topic that requires further examination.
mediating effect of approach and avoidance motivation on
consumers’ psychological motivation characteristics when
Theory of Consumption Values
purchasing pro-environmental products.
This study secondarily aimed to explore the moderating Based on the theory of consumption values, green con-
effect of green involvement (GI) and analyzed the differ- sumption values (GCVs) were defined as one’s tendency to
ences between consumers who have different levels of GI. express its own environmental protection values through
his or her purchases and consumption behavior (Haws
et al., 2014). Many researchers suggested that consumers’
Theoretical Background and GCVs are an important factor that guides consumer behav-
Hypotheses ior and affects their preference regarding which goods and
services they access in a pro-environmental context
Pro-Environmental Consumption Behavior
(Candan & Yıldırım, 2013; Gonçalves et al., 2016). Another
Recently, pro-environmental consumption behavior has been study showed that the pro-environmental outcomes of one’s
receiving increasing attention in the literature (Lacroix, GCVs are achieved through intrinsic and extrinsic factors
2018; Lange & Dewitte, 2019; Mainieri et al., 1997; Maio & that are associated with the components of a given purchase
Wei, 2013; Moser, 2015; Steinhorst & Klöckner, 2018; (Biswas & Roy, 2015). This finding suggested that GCVs
Urban et al., 2019; Welsch & Kühling, 2009). This focus is are part of a more extensive nomological network associ-
consistent with an increasingly broader interest in under- ated with conversations beyond environmental resources; it
standing pro-environmental behavior that has persisted for emphasized three facets of consumer choice behavior: (a)
several decades (e.g., Hines et al., 1987; Kollmuss & consumer choice of what to buy and what not to buy, (b)
Agyeman, 2002; Lange et al., 2018). Overall, such studies consumer choice of preferring one type of product to
mainly focused on achieving harmony between man and another, and (c) consumer selection between different
nature through the realignment of consumer behavior, and brands. Consumers with stronger GCVs would be more
they have mostly sought to understand the differences among conscientious in the use of financial and physical resources
individual consumers regarding their pro-environment con- (Biswas & Roy, 2015).
sumption behavior. Some of these studies have focused on Regarding financial resources, past research suggests that
finding pro-environmental consumers and segmenting them green consumption (or conservation) may be related to con-
in the market, something that can be illustrated by some cerns regarding spending money (e.g., family size).
researches’ description of pro-environmental consumers: Regarding physical resources, consumers that are more
They regard that these consumers are mostly female and aware of green consumption may try to use products in their
older, and have more income and higher educational levels. entirety and try not to use more than the necessary amount,
Nonetheless, these same studies were limited in the sense all with the intent for the product to effectively perform its
that they did not analyze why and how pro-environmental function (Haws et al., 2014). Furthermore, one’s GCVs have
consumption behavior is generated. remained unchanged for a period of time.
Wang et al. 3

Pro-Environmental Consumption Behavior Furthermore, approaching happiness and avoiding pain is

and GCVs the most important nature of human beings. Gray (1987) pro-
posed a behavioral motivation theory (Reinforcement
Many studies suggested that value was a critical influential Sensitivity Theory [RST]), which describes the behavioral
factor of pro-environmental consumption behavior. Stern approach system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system
(2000) subdivided pro-environmental consumption behavior (BIS). BAS refers to one’s sensitivity to rewards and positive
into two categories according to their environmental impact stimuli, activating behaviors that produce positive or plea-
during the stages of production and consumption: green con- surable goals, whereas BIS refers to one’s sensitivity to pun-
sumerism and the purchase of major household goods and ishment cues and negative stimuli, inhibiting behaviors that
services. These categories denote that pro-environmental produce unpleasant outcomes to avoid them (Carver &
consumption behavior not only relied on the actual behavior White, 1994; Merchán-Clavellino et al., 2019). Spielberg
but also guided by one’s inner values. et al. (2011) found that the activation approach (BAS, or
De Groot and Steg (2015) suggested that individuals with approach motivation) was associated with left-lateralized
environmental values, such as apathy for nature, personal middle frontal gyrus activation and that the region responds
inclination toward preserving the planet, and ecocentric phi- to stimuli associated with expectations, harvests, and plea-
losophies, were more committed to displaying pro-environ- sure. Conversely, avoidance (BIS, or avoidance motivation)
mental behaviors. Nguyen et al. (2016) found that biospheric was associated with right-lateralized middle frontal gyrus
values can influence pro-environmental consumption behav- activation and that the region responds to stimuli associated
ior; other research supported this same conclusion, for with disappointment, loss, and pain. Therefore, BAS and BIS
instance, Qasim et al.’s (2019) research subdivided people’s are not related to the same part of the nervous system, mean-
values into social value, conditional value, epistemic value, ing that both systems could, potentially, be activated at the
and emotional value. By doing so, they found that condi- same time.
tional value, emotional value, and epistemic value had a sig- Recently, these two concepts have been directly studied in
nificant positive influence on consumers’ behavioral research areas such as emotion, sense of power, risk predic-
intention to consume organic food. tions, sports psychology, and human experiences (Keltner
Behavioral intention is regarded as an important predictor et al., 2003; Lochbaum & Gottardy, 2015; Updegraff et al.,
of actual behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Pro-environmental con- 2004). These researches usually examine two aspects of
sumption behavior is the practical expression of one’s pro- these two systems: (1) How to activate the BAS and BIS,
environmental consumption intention (PCI). Thus, it can be such as how Keltner et al. (2003), which suggested that high-
said that the stronger the PCI, the more likely the actual pro- power perception activates the BAS; in another example,
environmental consumption behavior will occur. Therefore, Kramer and Yoon (2007) found that both positive and nega-
pro-environmental consumption behavior was replaced by tive emotional information influenced individuals’ BAS. (2)
PCI as an outcome variable. In the relationship between The factor which can be affected by the BAS and the BIS,
GCV and PCI, GCVs included values of environmental con- such as Carver and White (1994), which found that the BAS
sumption, such as purchasing green or recyclable production can influence and evoke different emotions that makes con-
and reducing consumption environmental hazard. Therefore, sumers have different emotional experiences in the con-
we assumed that PCI was influenced not only by biospheric sumption process, which are affected by the BAS and the
and environmental values but also by GCVs, mainly because BIS, findings that are supported by Arnold and Reynolds
GCVs are more embedded in the consumption context than (2012).
are environmental values. Thus, we hypothesized the Moreover, BAS and BIS are closely related to consumer
following: behavior. Based on the regulatory focus theory (Higgins
et al., 2001), it was found that the BAS and the BIS could
Hypothesis 1 (H1): GCVs will positively influence PCI. govern how people pursue goals, and could be a chronic pre-
disposition of individuals or could be situational induced
(Aaker & Lee, 2001; Higgins et al., 2001). This finding
Approach and Avoidance Motivation denotes that specific situations could activate the BAS and
When consumers face green products, in terms of decision the BIS. Arnold and Reynolds (2012) discussed the effect
making, they need to judge their benefits and compare the mechanism of approach (BAS) and avoidance motivations
differences between expected and actual results. Consumers (BIS) on hedonic consumption in a retail setting, and found
with strong GCVs tend to consider the benefits that purchas- that, as fundamental motivational dispositions, BAS and BIS
ing products bring not only to themselves but also to the are cross-situational and could be positively related to
environment. In the process of evaluation, such people tend hedonic shopping motivations.
to make their choices toward a more environmentally friendly Generally speaking, BAS should be related positively to
result (owing to its importance for them) and avoid environ- PCI for several reasons. (a) Keltner et al. (2003) suggested
mentally hazardous results. that high-power perception would activate the BAS; in the
4 SAGE Open

pro-environmental consumption setting, the consumer could the situation. Others have defined it somewhat differently:
feel high-power perception by helping in the diminishment Rothschild (1984) defined involvement as a statement of
of environmental degradation, thereby activating the BAS, one’s interest, motivation, or arousal, and subdivided the
and the consumers’ environment improvement goal would concept into two categories, persistent involvement and situ-
subsequently lead to PCI. (b) PCI can bring others’ moral ational involvement. Persistent involvement refers to con-
recognition and provide consumers with positive feedback sumers’ persistent attention toward a product, whereas
for their actions, which helps consumers to perceive the posi- situational involvement refers to consumers’ short attention
tive value brought by their behavior; these expectations that toward a product in a specific consumption situation.
the consumers have toward evoking positive reactions from Rothschild (1984) determined that involvement can have a
the environment by the prospect of a pro-environmental positive impact on consumers’ brand sensitivity: Consumers
behavior tend to activate the BAS, ultimately leading to the with high involvement levels tend to more thoroughly search
PCI. for product information to compare and evaluate the product,
In the relationship between BIS and PCI, consumers may and consumers with low involvement tend to skip the infor-
come to feel powerlessness about environmental change, mation searching process and go straight for the purchase. In
which could evoke low-power perception, thereby activating this study, we defined GI as a statement of interest, motiva-
the BIS (Keltner et al., 2003); this may help consumers to tion, or arousal toward green products.
avoid behaviors that could produce further negative results In the relationship between GCVs and PCI, consumers
for the environment, leading them to act toward preventing with high GI will search for more information about green
such occurrences; pro-environmental consumption behavior products to compare and evaluate them—from functional
is one of the ways to prevent negative results caused by envi- and valuable perspectives—to assist them in their purchas-
ronmental changes, subsequently leading consumers to exert ing decisions. Consumers who have low GI will ignore
their PCI. Thus, we hypothesized the following: product information and only be affected by the product
advertisements. In a pro-environmental consumption con-
Hypothesis 2a (H2a): The BAS will positively influence text, consumers with high GI would be able to evaluate the
PCI. environmental effect of their pro-environmental behavior,
Hypothesis 2b (H2b): The BIS will positively influence which demonstrates that GI may be a mechanism influenc-
PCI. ing people’s GCVs, thereby making consumers with higher
GCVs more likely to display PCI. Therefore, GI may be a
BAS and BIS, as fundamental motivation dispositions, are moderating variable between GCVs and PCI (see Figure 1).
influenced by cultural norms and values (Carver & White,
1994; Updegraff et al., 2004). Hence, in the pro-environmen- Hypothesis 4 (H4): The positive relationship between
tal consumption context, GCVs could be one of the important GCVs and PCI will be stronger when consumers’ GI is
influence factors that activate the BAS and the BIS. In other high.
words, consumers with stronger GCVs may more positively
perceive the purchase of green products (BAS activation/
approach motivation) and may help other consumers under- Method
stand the benefits of such products (BIS activation/avoidance Data Collection and Sample Description
motivation), which promotes environmental protection and
pollution avoidance. The result of this series of psychological Data were collected from actual shoppers in four urban
mechanisms is the generation of pro-environmental con- Chinese shopping streets—including Chongqing Road of
sumption behavior. Therefore, the BAS and the BIS can play Changchun, Henan Street of Jilin, Taiyuan Street of
a mediating role between GCVs and PCI. Shenyang, and Central Street of Harbin—through face-to-
face intercept surveys. Shoppers were randomly intercepted
Hypothesis 3a (H3a): BAS will positively mediate the and recruited to participate in this study. Data were collected
relationship between GCVs and PCI. from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The face-to-face surveys were
Hypothesis 3b (H3b): BIS will positively mediate the administered by research assistants who were well trained
relationship between GCVs and PCI. and instructed in intercepts and interviewing techniques.

GI Participants
GI refers to the outcome of the interaction between consum- Participants were assured that the collected data of this
ers and green products. Anti et al. (1986) defined the concept research would be used exclusively for academic purposes.
of involvement as a state of perceived importance or a state- Participants were asked to read a paragraph, including the
ment of one’s interest that was evoked by the stimulus and following content, before proceeding to the surveys:
Wang et al. 5

Figure 1. Theoretical research model.

Note. GCVs = green consumption values; BAS = behavioral approach system; BIS = behavioral inhibition system; PCI = pro-environmental consumption
intention; GI = green involvement.

If you need to buy a refrigerator for your family, there are two bach’s alpha exceeded .700, exhibiting sufficient reliability.
kinds of refrigerators you can choose, which are the energy-
efficient refrigerator and the ordinary refrigerator. Compared
with the conventional refrigerator, the energy-efficient Validity Analysis
refrigerator is consistent in freezing and refrigeration, but has
Except for BIS (0.424), other constructs’ average variance
better energy efficiency and a higher price.
extracted were all above 0.500, and all constructs’ consis-
tency reliability were above 0.700. The chi-square value for
Following Bentler and Chou’s (1987) and Hair et al.’s
the confirmation factor analysis containing all research con-
(2014) suggestions, the sample sizes should be at least 15
struct measures was 2,493.831. Other goodness-of-fit mea-
times the number of the items in the measure of the observed
sures were χ2/df = 6.704, non-normed fit index = 0.814,
variables to ensure good statistical power of the study. In this
comparative fit index = 0.837, and root mean square error of
study, there were 34 items, so the minimum sample size
approximation = 0.088.
required was 510 samples, and 741 out of 1,000 intercepted
We also followed Bollen and Stine’s (1992) model and
shoppers agreed to complete the survey questionnaire, result-
analyzed the model fit of this research. The Bollen-stine
ing in a 74.1% response rate. Therefore, the statistical analy-
bootstrap tests were 2,000 times; the results showed that the
sis of this study had strong statistical power.
χ2 was 515.49, χ2/df = 1.386, comparative fit index = 0.931,
The demographic profile of these shoppers can be charac-
non-normed fit index = 0.925, and root mean square error of
terized as follows: There were slightly more female partici-
approximation = 0.023. We also chose five demographic
pants (59.2%); approximately 62% of the participants were
variables as control variables in this research (gender, age,
aged between 18 and 25 years old; 26% were married and
income, marital status, and education). Construct analyses
74% were single; 74.4% had completed a university degree;
are shown in Table 1.
and all income ranges were well represented, as 21.9%
Intercorrelations among the variables are reported in
reported income between 12,000 and 15,000 Renminbi
Table 2. The results indicated that GCVs were significantly
(RMB), and 8.8% had an income greater than 80,000 RMB.
related to PCI (r = . 697, p < .001), BAS (r = .446, p <
.001) and BIS (r = .299, p < .001) were significantly related
Measures to PCI, GCV was significantly related to BAS (r = .527. p <
.001), GCV was significantly related to BIS (r = .322,
Scale structure and reliability analysis. The measurement scales p < .001), and GI was significantly related to PCI (r = . 632,
employed in this research were developed and validated in a p < .001).
past study. For GCVs, we used a six-item scale adapted from
Haws et al.’s (2014) study. In this study, the Cronbach’s
alpha was .914. For the BAS and the BIS, we used 13 (BAS) Results
and seven items (BIS) that were adapted from Carver and
Total and Indirect Effects
White’s (1994) study. In this study, the Cronbach’s alphas
were .915 and .769, respectively. The PCI scales used three This study used the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation
items adapted from Ajzen’s (1991) study, and GI scales used Model (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. By comparing
five items adapted from Traylor and Joseph’s (1984) study. with the hierarchical linear regression model (e.g., ordinary
In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha for the PCI scale was least squares [OLS]) and traditional structural equation
.831, and the Cronbach’s alpha for the GI scale was .897. All model (e.g., Analysis and Moment of Structure [AMOS]),
items were rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale, and all Cron- PLS-SEM relaxes the restrictions on normal distribution and
6 SAGE Open

Table 1. Mean, Reliability, and Validity.

Variables name M SD Cronbach’s α AVE CR

GCV 3.9341 0.7108 0.914 0.702 0.934
PCI 3.7355 0.7807 0.831 0.673 0.890
BAS 3.8182 0.6154 0.915 0.500 0.927
BIS 3.4318 0.5820 0.769 0.424 0.831
GI 3.5031 0.7571 0.897 0.709 0.925
Model fit χ2 = 2,493.831, χ2/df = 6.704, NNFI = 0.814, CFI = 0.837, RMSEA = 0.088
Bollen–Stine bootstrap χ2 = 515.49, χ2/df = 1.386, CFI = 0.931, NNFI = 0.925, RMSEA = 0.023

Note. SD = standard deviation; AVE = average variance extracted; CR = composite reliability; GCV = green consumption value; PCI = pro-
environmental consumption intention; BAS = behavioral approach system; BIS = behavioral inhibition system; GI = green involvement; NNFI = non-
normed fit index; CFI = comparative fit index; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation.

Table 2. Zero-Order Correlations Between All Variables (N = 741).

Variables name 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. GCV 1
2. PCI .697*** 1
3. BAS .527*** .446*** 1
4. BIS .322*** .299*** .527*** 1
5. GI .603*** .632*** .439*** .343*** 1

Note. GCV = green consumption value; PCI = pro-environmental consumption intention; BAS = behavioral approach system; BIS = behavioral inhibition
system; GI = green involvement.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

sample size, which helps researchers to more easily explore and significantly influenced BAS (path coefficient = 0.645,
the relationship between variables (Hair et al., 2012). In this SD = 0.028, t-value = 22.858, p < .001), and BAS positively
study, the independent variable was GCVs, the dependent and significantly influenced PCI (path coefficient = 0.097,
variable was PCI, and the mediating variables were BAS and SD = 0.049, t-value = 2.001, p < .05). Therefore, the BAS
BIS. There were five control variables in the model (gender, positively and significantly mediated the relationship between
age, income, marital status, and education). In accordance GCVs and PCI, denoting that H3a was supported.
with the method of Hair et al. (2012), this research used the Although GCVs positively and significantly influenced
2,000 times bootstrapping method to test the total effect, BIS (path coefficient = 0.418, SD = 0.037, t-value = 11.087,
direct effect, indirect effect, and moderation effect of the p < .001), BIS did not significantly influence PCI (path coef-
variables. ficient = 0.066, SD = 0.040, t-value = 1.586, ns). Therefore,
When testing for the total effects, results showed that the the BIS did not positively mediate the relationship between
five control variables, except for married (t-value = 2.222, p GCVs and PCI, and H3b was not supported (see Table 3).
< .05), did not account for a significant portion of the vari-
ance in PCI. GCVs positively and significantly influenced
Moderation Effect
PCI (total effect: path coefficient = 0.730, standard devia-
tion [SD] = 0.025, t-value = 29.177, p < .001; direct effect: When testing for the moderation effects (Table 4), results
path coefficient = .640, SD = 0.035, t-value = 18.129, p < showed that all five control variables did not account for a
.001), denoting that H1 was supported. significant portion of the variance in PCI. GCVs positively
BAS positively and significantly influenced PCI (path coef- and significantly influenced PCI (path coefficient = 0.549,
ficient = 0.097, SD = 0.049, t-value = 2.001, p < .05), denot- SD = 0.040, t-value = 13.829, p < .001); GI positively and
ing that H2a was supported. However, BIS did not significantly significantly influenced PCI (path coefficient = .326, SD =
influence PCI, denoting that H2b was not supported. .044, t-value = 7.488, p < .001); the interaction between
When testing for indirect effects, results showed that the GCVs and GI positively and significantly influenced PCI
indirect effect between GCVs and PCI was significantly sup- (path coefficient = .047, SD = .020, t-value = 2.206, p <
ported (indirect effect: path coefficient = 0.090, SD = 0.026, .05), showing that the moderation effect was significant,
t-value = 3.401, p < .01), and we found that GCVs positively which denoted that H4 was supported.
Wang et al. 7

Table 3. Test of Total Effect, Direct Effect, and Indirect Effect Between All Variables, Except for Green Involvement (N = 741).

Path Path coefficient SD t-value p

Total effect
GCVs → PCI 0.730*** 0.025 29.177 .000
GCVs → BAS 0.645*** 0.028 22.858 .000
GCVs → BIS 0.418*** 0.037 11.087 .000
BAS → PCI 0.097* 0.049 2.001 .045
BIS → PCI 0.066 0.040 1.586 .113
Direct effect
GCVs → PCI 0.640*** 0.035 18.129 .000
Indirect effect
GCVs → PCI 0.090** 0.026 3.401 .001
Control variables
Age → PCI –0.023 0.037 0.638 .524
Education → PCI 0.003 0.028 0.074 .941
Gender → PCI 0.012 0.026 0.492 .623
Income → PCI –0.031 0.031 1.005 .315
Married → PCI 0.077* 0.034 2.222 .026

Note. 2,000 times bootstrapping model. SD = standard deviation; GCVs = green consumption values; PCI = pro-environmental consumption intention;
BAS = behavioral approach system; BIS = behavioral inhibition system.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Table 4. Test for the Moderation Effect of GI in the Relationship Between GCVs and PCI (N = 741).

Path Path coefficient SD t-value p

Moderation effect
GCVs → PCI 0.549*** 0.040 13.829 .000
GI → PCI 0.326*** 0.044 7.488 .000
GCVs × GI → BIS 0.047* 0.020 2.206 .027
Control variables
Age → PCI –0.029 0.033 0.875 .382
Education → PCI 0.007 0.026 0.274 .784
Gender → PCI 0.027 0.024 1.148 .251
Income → PCI –0.043 0.028 1.521 .128
Married → PCI 0.050 0.030 1.626 .104

Note. 2,000 times bootstrapping model; GI = green involvement; GCVs = green consumption values; PCI = pro-environmental consumption intention;
SD = standard deviation; BIS = behavioral inhibition system.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Discussion PCI; consumers with higher GI were able to evaluate the

environmental effect of the pro-environmental behavior,
This article aimed to show empirical evidence of the rela- which was an influence mechanism for GCVs that affected
tionship between GCVs and PCI. First, we showed that a PCI. Thus, compared with lower GI consumers, higher GI
consumer’s intention to use a pro-environmental product consumers had their GCVs influenced and became more
was influenced by the GCVs using the theory of consumer likely to produce PCI.
values in the pro-environmental consumption setting. In this research, there were two hypotheses that were not
Second, we found that the pro-environmental consumption supported (H2b and H3b), and both focused on the relation-
setting activated consumers’ approach motivation, but that it ship between BIS and PCI. After analyzing, we found two
did not activate avoidance motivation, which meant that, possible reasons for why these hypotheses were not sup-
when GCVs were influenced by BAS—not BIS—such influ- ported: First, based on the prospect theory (Tversky &
ence affected consumers’ PCI. Third, we confirmed the mod- Kahneman, 1981), when a gain-framed message is targeted
erating effect of GI in the relationship between GCVs and toward a distant future, consumers tend to exhibit more
8 SAGE Open

positive attitudes and higher purchase intentions than when the development of society toward green and environmental
the message is targeted at the present moment (Chang et al., protection.
2015). When consumers buy green products, they often base
their psychological imagery in a scenario that makes the
Limitations and Directions for Future Research
future a better place; so, because the activation of the BIS
requires avoidance, and such a relatively positive imagery No study is without limitations. The first limitation of the
does not usually evoke one’s desire to avoid such future, present study was that shoppers lived in a specific area: the
green consumption could not activate the BIS, so it did not north area of China; furthermore, although we attempted
affect the PCI. Second, consumer’s avoidance motivation for hard to make sample collection as randomized as possible,
environmental pollution is an indirect motivation type, sample distribution was not normal. Even if we used the
which, compared with the benefits that environmentally PLS-SEM method to correct the bias coming from the non-
friendly products evoke in the situation of green product pur- normal distribution, such an approach still poses several
chases, may be hard to be perceived by consumers. Therefore, limitations.
the hypotheses were not supported. The second limitation of the present study was that the
Thus, green consumption behavior was empirically asso- research method used to analyze BAS and BIS is brain neu-
ciated with personal values; the consumer will be more ron cognitive systems connected to participants’ brains, but it
involved with the green consumption behavior. The current was difficult to introduce them into the green product pur-
findings may help the field of pro-environmental behavior chase scenario owing to limitations of the conditions in
change further to improve theory-driven empirical approaches which we performed the study. The questionnaire survey
that study the effect of values on consumers’ intention, as well method can only be used according to the experience of pre-
as develop better and more efficient consumer GCVs to pro- vious scholars (Carver & White, 1994), which affects the
mote pro-environmental consumption behaviors. accuracy of this study to a certain extent.
The present study was one of the first to uncover the rela-
tionship between GCVs and PCI from the BAS/BIS perspec-
Managerial Implications tive. In sum, consumers should establish appropriate GCVs.
This study not only extends the conventional theory of green At the same time, the purchase of green products should not
consumption behavior but also provides a reference for the only become a passive choice made based solely on manu-
government and enterprises on how to bridge the gap between facturer’s marketing but also become the active choice of
people’s GCVs and their actual behavior. For the govern- consumers themselves, which could happen by promoting
ment, first, it could use soft power policy tools to help people environmental changes through our own environmental
improve their GCVs, include educational interventions to behaviors and promoting the development of society toward
promote pro-environmental knowledge, public service green and environmental protection.
advertising, establishing a hero of environmental protection,
reward for environmental activities, and so on. Second, it Declaration of Conflicting Interests
could adjust industrial policies to promote the development The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
of environmentally friendly products, enable the pro-envi- to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
ronment industry to gradually replace the backward non-
environmental industries, and increase the supply and Funding
availability of environmentally friendly products. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support
For enterprises, first, in the sales environment, incentives for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This
toward activating consumers’ approaching motivation should study is supported by National office for Philosophy and Social
be added, so that he or she can perceive the benefits brought Sciences (Grant number 18BGL215).
by the eco-friendly product to nature and themselves in an
environmental-friendly space/situation. Second, they could ORCID iD
adjust product structure by increasing the development and Jian Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2626-7606
supply of environmentally friendly products, by enhancing
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Author Biographies
Research, 11(4), 216–217. Jianguo Wang, PhD, is an associate professor of school of business
Spielberg, J. M., Miller, G. A., Engels, A. S., Herrington, J. D., adminstration at Zhejiang university of finance and economics. His
Sutton, B. P., Banich, M. T., & Heller, W. (2011). Trait research interests include green consumption behavior and green
approach and avoidance motivation: Lateralized neural activity marketing.
associated with executive function. NeuroImage, 54(1), 661–
Jianming Wang, PhD, is a professor of school of business admin-
670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.037
stration at Zhejiang university of finance and economics. His
Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental
research interests include green consumption behavior and green
behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal
policy.
of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 309–317. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.10.004 Jian Gao, PhD, is an assistant professor of school of business
Steinhorst, J., & Klöckner, C. A. (2018). Effects of monetary ver- adminstration at Zhejiang university of finance and economics. His
sus environmental information framing: Implications for long- research interests include green consumption behavior and green
term pro-environmental behavior and intrinsic motivation. lifestyle.