Keywords
financial sacrifice
sustainable consumer behaviour
consumer motivation
Generation Z
How to Cite
Abstract
Sustainable consumer behaviour is critical to improving the natural environment and protecting natural resources. The paper explores selected factors influencing the home sustainable behaviour of Generation Z consumers. Particular attention was paid to concern for the environment, willingness to make financial sacrifices, which is understood as the willingness to incur higher costs resulting from pro-ecological behaviour, and motivation for sustainable behaviour. The research was conducted among 492 consumers belonging to Generation Z. A serial mediation model was developed to test four research hypotheses. The results indicate a significant mediation relationship between environmental concerns, motivation, and pro-environmental consumer behaviour and an insignificant mediation associated with willingness to make a financial sacrifice. This implies that financial sacrifice did not play a crucial role in explaining the relationship between environmental concern and pro-environmental home behaviour. However, in the model in which motivation for sustainable behaviour and willingness to financial sacrifice were serial mediators, we observe a significant positive relation between motivation and willingness to financial sacrifice.
References
Adam, D., Siregar, E., Musannip, Z., Supriadi, E., & Ende, Y. (2021). Environmental Concern and Environmental Knowledge, Attitude toward Pro-Environmental Behaviour as Predictors of Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Evidence from Textile Industry in Indonesia. Calitatea, 22(182), 138–144. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366822983_Environmental_Concern_and_Environmental_Knowledge_Attitude_toward_Pro-Environmental_Behavior_as_Predictors_of_Pro-Environmental_Behavior_Evidence_from_Textile_Industry_in_Indonesia
Ayar, I., & Gürbüz, A. (2021). Sustainable Consumption Intentions of Consumers in Turkey: A Research Within the Theory of Planned Behaviour. SAGE Open, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211047563
Balderjahn, I., & Hüttel, A. (2019). Why Consumers Buy Sustainably: The Role of Personal Values. ZFP – Journal of Research and Management, 41, 24–38. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26588532.
Bamberg, S., & Möser, G. (2007). Twenty years after Hines, Hungerford, and Tomera: A new meta-analysis of psycho-social determinants of pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(1), 14-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2006.12.002
Bang, H., Ellinger, A. E., Hadjimarcou, J., & Traichal, P. A. (2000). Consumer concern, knowledge, belief, and attitude toward renewable energy: An application of the reasoned action theory. Psychology & Marketing, 17(6), 449-468. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(200006)17:6%3C449::AID-MAR2%3E3.0.CO;2-8
Black, I. R., & Cherrier, H. (2010). Anti-consumption as part of living a sustainability lifestyle: daily practices, contextual motivation and subjective values. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 9(6), 437-453. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.337
Blake, J. (1999). Overcoming the 'value‐action gap ' in environmental policy: Tensions between national policy and local experience. Local environment, 4(3), 257-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839908725599
Bollen, K. A., & Stine, R. (1990). Direct and indirect effects: Classical and bootstrap estimates of variability. Sociological Methodology, 20, 115–140. https://doi.org/10.2307/271084
Chen, C.-C., Sujanto, R. Y., Tseng, M.-L., Fujii, M., & Lim, M. K. (2021). Sustainable consumption transition model: Social concerns and waste minimization under willingness-to-pay in Indonesian food industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 170, 105590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105590
Corral-Verdugo, V., Mireles-Acosta, J., Tapia-Fonllem, C. O., & Fraijo-Sing, B. (2011). Happiness as Correlate of Sustainable Behaviour: A Study of Pro-Ecological, Frugal, Equitable and Altruistic Actions That Promote Subjective Wellbeing. Human Ecology Review, 18(2), 95-104. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286377093_Happiness_as_Correlate_of_Sustainable_Behavior_A_Study_of_Pro-Ecological_Frugal_Equitable_and_Altruistic_Actions_That_Promote_Subjective_Wellbeing
Dagher, G. K., & Itani, O. (2014). Factors influencing green purchasing behaviour: Empirical evidence from the Lebanese consumers. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 13(3), 188–195. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1482
Diekmann, A., & Preisendörfer, P. (2003). Green and greenback: The behavioural effects of environmental attitudes in low-cost and high-cost situations. Rationality and Society, 15(4), 441-472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043463103154002?urlappend=%3Futm_source%3Dresearchgate
Dimitrova, T., Ilieva, I., & Angelova, M. (2022). Exploring Factors Affecting Sustainable Consumption Behaviour. Administrative Sciences, 12(4), 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040155
ElHaffar, G., Durif, F. & Dubé, L. (2020). Towards closing the attitude-intention-behaviour gap in green consumption: A narrative review of the literature and an overview of future research directions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 275, 122556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122556
García-Machado, J. J., Figueroa-García, E. C., & Jachowicz, A. (2020). Sustainable Consumption Behaviour in Poland Through a PLS-SEM Model. In W. Sroka (Ed.), Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour. Contributions to Management Science (pp. 147-172). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47380-8_7
Ghaffar, A., Zaheer Zaidi, S. S., & Islam, T. (2023). An investigation of sustainable consumption behaviour: the influence of environmental concern and trust in sustainable producers on consumer xenocentrism. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 34(3), 771–793. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-05-2022-0153
Gifford, R., & Nilsson, A. (2014). Personal and social factors that influence pro‐environmental concern and behaviour: A review. International Journal of Psychology, 49(3), 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12034
Ha, H. & Janda, S. (2012), Predicting consumer intentions to purchase energy‐efficient products, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(7), 461-469. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761211274974
Hanss, D., & Böhm, G. (2013). Promoting purchases of sustainable groceries: An intervention study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 33, 53-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.10.002
Harring, N., Jagers, S. C., & Matti, S. (2017). Public Support for Pro-Environmental Policy Measures: Examining the Impact of Personal Values and Ideology. Sustainability, 9, 679. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9050679
Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation: A regression-based approach. London: Guilford Press.
Hosta, M., & Zabkar, V. (2021). Antecedents of Environmentally and Socially Responsible Sustainable Consumer Behaviour. Journal of Business Ethics, 171(2), 273–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04416-0
Huang, Y., & Warnier, M. (2019). Bridging the attitude-behaviour gap in household energy consumption. 2019 IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Europe (ISGT-Europe), IEEE. 1-5 https://doi.org/10.1109/ISGTEurope.2019.8905660
Jaska, E., Balińska, A., & Werenowska, A. (2025). Mobile applications in the sustainable lifestyle of Generation Z. Economics and Environment, 91(4), 957. https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2024.91.4.957
Joshi, Y., & Rahman, Z. (2017). Investigating the determinants of consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 10, 110–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SPC.2017.02.002
Joshi, Y., & Rahman, Z. (2019). Consumers' Sustainable Purchase Behaviour: Modeling the Impact of Psychological Factors. Ecological Economics, 159, 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.01.025
Jung, H. J., Choi, Y. J. & Oh, K. W. (2020). Influencing Factors of Chinese Consumers' Purchase Intention to Sustainable Apparel Products: Exploring Consumer "Attitude–Behavioural Intention" Gap. Sustainability, 12(5), 1770. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12051770
Khachatryan, H., Campbell, B., Hall, C., Behe, B., Yu Khachatryan, H., Campbell, B., Hall, C., Behe, B., Yue, C., & Dennis, J. (2014). The Effects of Individual Environmental Concerns on Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Plant Attributes. HortScience, 49(1), 69-75. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.49.1.69
Krsnik, S., & Erjavec, K. (2024). Comprehensive Study on the Determinants of Green Behaviour of Slovenian Consumers: The Role of Marketing Communication, Lifestyle, Psychological, and Social Determinants. Sustainability, 16(17), 7555. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177555
Lee, K (2008). Making environmental communications meaningful to female adolescents: A study in Hong Kong. Science Communication, 30(2), 147-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547008324364
Leonard-Barton, D. (1981). Voluntary Simplicity Lifestyles and Energy Conservation. Journal of Consumer Research, 8(3), 243–252. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2488881
Lin, Y.-T., Tseng, T. H., Chang, A., & Yang, C.-C. (2022). A value adoption approach to sustainable consumption in retail stores. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 50(11), 1412–1435. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-07-2021-0326
Luchs, M. G., & Mooradian, T. A. (2012). Sex, Personality, and Sustainable Consumer Behaviour: Elucidating the Gender Effect. Journal of Consumer Policy, 35(1), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-011-9179-0
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., & Williams, J. (2004). Confidence Limits for the Indirect Effect: Distribution of the Product and Resampling Methods. Multivariate Behavioural Research, 39(1), 99–128. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr3901_4
Maduku, D. K. (2024). How environmental concerns influence consumers' anticipated emotions towards sustainable consumption: The moderating role of regulatory focus. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 76, 103593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103593
Mastria, S., Vezzil, A., & De Cesarei, A. (2023). Going Green: A Review on the Role of Motivation in Sustainable Behaviour. Sustainability, 15, 15429. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115429
McDonald, S., Oates, C J., Young, C. W., & Hwang, K. (2006). Toward Sustainable Consumption: Researching Voluntary Simplifiers. Psychology & Marketing, 23(6), 515–534. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20132
Mughal, M. F., Cai, S. L., Faraz, N. A., & Ahmed, F. (2022). Environmentally specific servant leadership and employees' pro-environmental behaviour: Mediating role of green self efficacy. Psychology Research and Behaviour Management, 15, 305-316. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S328776
Nguyen, H. V., Thanh Do, L., & Thu Le, M. T. (2024). From environmental values to pro-environmental consumption behaviours: The moderating role of environmental information. Current Psychology, 43(4), 3607-3620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04569-2
Nielsen. (2015). Global Report on Consumer Sustainability Trends: Insights 2015. https://engageforgood.com/2015-nielsen-global-sustainability-report/
Oberoi, P., & Bhandari, J. (2024). Evaluating the Role of Economic Factors in Sustainable Consumption Behaviour. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 21(2), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.3233/AJW2 40018
Olech, I., Szczepaniak, I., Shrestha, R., & Bhattarai, P. C. (2025). A comparative study on knowledge, attitude, and behaviour of Polish and Nepali students towards the circular economy. Economics and Environment, 92(1), 829. https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2025.92.1.829
Olgum, G., & Gülova, A. A. (2023). Digitalization and generation Z: Advantages and disadvantages of digitalization. In B. Akkaya & A. Tabak (Eds.), Two Faces of Digital Transformation Technological Opportunities Versus Social Threats. Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-096-020231003
Pelau, C., Dabija, D. C., & Ene, I. (2021). What makes an AI device human-like? The role of interaction quality, empathy and perceived psychological anthropomorphic characteristics in the acceptance of artificial intelligence in the service industry. Computers in Human Behaviour, 122, 106855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106855.
Rašić, J., Crnković, B., & Ham, M. (2024). The influence of personal motives and personal norm on purchasing sustainable products. Zbornik Radova Ekonomskog Fakulteta u Rijeci / Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, 42(1), 167–196. https://doi.org/10.18045/zbefri.2024.1.167
Reyes, J. A. L. (2021). How Different Are the Nordics? Unravelling the Willingness to Make Economic Sacrifices for the Environment. Sustainability, 13(3), 1294. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031294
Saari, U. A., Damberg, S., Frömbling, L., & Ringle, C. M. (2021). Sustainable consumption behaviour of Europeans: The influence of environmental knowledge and risk perception on environmental concern and behavioural intention. Ecological Economics, 189, 107155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107155
Salvietti, G., Ranfagni, S., & Berti, D. (2023). Framing Generation Z's Purchasing Process: A Mixed Method Approach. Micro and Macro Marketing, 32(2), 281–310. https://doi.org/10.1431/107643
Schill, M., & Shaw, D. (2016). Recycling today, sustainability tomorrow: Effects of psychological distance on behavioural practice. European Management Journal, 34(4), 349–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2016.05.004
Schoemann, A. M., Boulton, A. J., & Short, S. D. (2017). Determining Power and Sample Size for Simple and Complex Mediation Models. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8(4), 379-386. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617715068
Seyfi, S., & Michael Hall, C. (2024). Is Gen Z a pro-SDG generation? A critical review and reflection. In A.K. Boluk, F. Higgins-Desbiolles & M. Akhoundoghli (Eds.), The Elgar Companion to Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (pp. 246-258). Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802203219.00025
Sh. Ahmad, F., Rosli, N. T., & Quoquab, F. (2022). Environmental quality awareness, green trust, green self-efficacy and environmental attitude in influencing green purchase behaviour. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 38(1), 68-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-05-2020-0072
Shah, P., & Yang, J. Z. (2022). Consumer Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Products. Environmental Communication, 16(8), 1077–1093. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.2152847
Sharma, N., Lal, M., Goel, P., Sharma, A., & Rana, N. P. (2022). Being socially responsible: How green self-identity and locus of control impact green purchasing intentions? Journal of Cleaner Production, 357, 131895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131895
Sinha, J. I. (2025). Tapping Generation Z micro-influencers for marketing and branding. Journal of Brand Strategy, 13(4), 391–401. https://doi.org/10.69554/MKSO7650
Siraj, A., Taneja, S., Zhu, Y., Jiang, H., Luthra, S., & Kumar, A. (2022). Hey, did you see that label? It's sustainable!: Understanding the role of sustainable labelling in shaping sustainable purchase behaviour for sustainable development. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(7), 2820–2838. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3049
Tapia-Fonllem, C., Corral-Verdugo, V., Fraijo-Sing, B., & Durón-Ramos, M. F. (2013). Assessing sustainable behaviour and its correlates: A measure of pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic and equitable actions. Sustainability, 5(2), 711-723. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5020711
Tarapata, J. (2020). Orientacja na zrównoważona konsumpcje w zachowaniach młodych konsumentów. HUMANITAS Zarządzanie, 2, 207-218. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0014.2884 (in Polish).
Testa, F., Cosic, A., & Iraldo, F. (2020). Determining factors of curtailment and purchasing energy-related behaviours. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112(5), 3810-3819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.134
Verain, M. C., Bartels, J., Dagevos, H., Sijtsema, S. J., Onwezen, M. C., & Antonides, G. (2012). Segments of sustainable food consumers: A literature review. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 36(2), 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2011.01082.x
Wang, B., & Udall, A. M. (2023). Sustainable Consumer Behaviours: The Effects of Identity, Environment Value and Marketing Promotion. Sustainability, 15(2), 1129. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021129
Wang, J., Wang, J., & Gao, J. (2020). Effect of green consumption value on consumption intention in a pro-environmental setting: The mediating role of approach and avoidance motivation. Sage Open, 10(1), 2158244020902074. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020902074?urlappend=%3Futm_source%3Dresearchgate
White, K., & Simpson, B. (2013). When Do (and Don't) Normative Appeals Influence Sustainable Consumer Behaviours? Journal of Marketing, 77(2), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.11.0278
White, K., Habib, R., & Hardisty, D. J. (2019). How to SHIFT consumer behaviours to be more sustainable: A literature review and guiding framework. Journal of Marketing, 83(3), 22-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919825649
White, K., Simpson, B., & Argo, J. J. (2014). The Motivating Role of Dissociative Out-Groups in Encouraging Positive Consumer Behaviours. Journal of Marketing Research, 51 (4), 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.12.0335
Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S., & Oates, C. J. (2009). Sustainable consumption: Green consumer behaviour when purchasing products. Sustainability, 18(1), 20-31. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.394
Zia, A., & Alzahrani, M. (2022). Investigating the Effects of E-Marketing Factors for Agricultural Products on the Emergence of Sustainable Consumer Behaviour. Sustainability, 14(20), 13072. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013072
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Economics and Environment