Fostering eco-friendly purchase intentions: Do consumer ethnocentrism and biospheric values matter?

Abstract

In the context of economic integration and fierce competition between domestic and international brands, consumer ethnocentrism (CE) is an important factor in the purchasing decisions of Vietnamese consumers. Consumer ethnocentrism reflects the general viewpoint that buying domestic products is a patriotic act, helping to protect the domestic economy and supporting domestic businesses. Hence, the awareness of the environment has been a growing concern among Vietnamese consumers, which has contributed to the rising demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products. There are limited studies to show which intermediary factors CE applies to make green domestic products appealing in the eyes of the consumers in Vietnam. Therefore, to bridge this gap, the study combines two well-established theoretical frameworks, the Theory of Planned Behaviour model (TPB)—one of the most widely used theories in studying shopping behavior—and the Value-Identity-Personal norm model (VIP), integrating factors specific to the Vietnamese context such as biospheric value, environmental self-identity, and pro-environmental personal norms. This research aims to offer a thorough insight into the psychological and social determinants influencing green product consumption among ethnocentric consumers in Vietnam. Following a review of the literature on theoretical model designs, the poll was conducted using an online questionnaire through the Google Forms platform, with 2 independent variables, 5 mediating variables, 1 dependent variable, and 24 items. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to inspect hypotheses from the final dataset of 201 respondents. Result: The TPB model was identified as a crucial mediating mechanism linking the VIP model, presenting a nuanced view on the merging of value-based and behavior-focused paradigms in understanding green product adoption. Consumer ethnocentrism and its influence on purchase intention, where perceived behavioral control acts as the most significant mediator, were found to be statistically significantly positively correlated for Vietnamese consumers. Likewise, biospheric values also affect purchase intention indirectly through the TPB model. Regarding the hypothesized variables, the results support pro-environmental personal norms and the indirect pathways in influencing consumer behavior toward purchasing. These findings give a fuller understanding of the driving forces behind sustainable consumption and the acceptance of green products produced locally in Vietnam