Being socially responsible: How green self-identity and locus of control impact green purchasing intentions?

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of green self-identity (GSI) and two attributes of locus of control, namely external environmental locus of control (ExLOC) and pro-environmental locus of control (PELOC), to predict perceived consumers' effectiveness (PCE) on green purchase intentions (GPI) using attribution theory. For this study, data from 391 Indian consumers were analyzed using PLS-SEM via SMARTPLS version 3.2.9. Results show that GSI positively influences both ExLOC and PELOC. Furthermore, both aspects of locus of control are significant positive predictors of PCE and have partial mediation roles. The results not only imply comprehensively expound the process of green buying intentions of consumers through self-identity but also addresses the process of attribution. The study applied the Importance Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) to compare the relative importance and performance of three antecedents (i.e., ELOC, GSI, and PCE). The finding is of utmost importance for practitioners and public authorities to design more focused strategies to increase GPI among the masses to enhance the sales of green products.