The impact of green advertising skepticism on Vietnamese citizens’ intention to purchase electric vehicle

Abstract

A growing global trend of green consumption, crucial for advancing the achievement of SDGs, is influencing consumer behavior across various sectors, including the automotive industry, where the EV market is experiencing rapid expansion. This growth has fueled a surge in green advertising efforts, targeting consumers with an eco-friendly mindset. However, a key barrier is greenwashing, which heightens GAS and may hinder the intention to acquire sustainable products. The purpose of this paper is to use the ELM and Self-Construal theory to investigate how skepticism shapes consumer responses to green advertising, focusing on EV purchases in Vietnam. Mediating factors such as IFU, TRA, ATD, and ETH are explored in depth. This study employed structural equation modeling to validate the proposed conceptual model, using data collected from 342 valid questionnaires in Vietnam, and analyzed via Smart PLS4 software. The findings suggest that GAS negatively affects GIP, with CR (TRA, IFU) and AR (ATD, ETH) serving as mediators in this relationship. In particular, consumer's GAS will have the most significant negative impact on TRA as CR and ATD as AR, compared to affecting consumer's GIP. Furthermore, IDS acts as a negative moderator, reducing the strength of the link between IFU and GIP, while ITS negatively influences the connection between ATD and GIP. Hence, this current research was concluded with the meaningful practical implications for EVs brand