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They Are Just Light Bulbs, Right? The Personality Antecedents of Household Energy-Saving Behavioral Intentions among Young Millennials and Gen Z

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  • Minhao Dai

    (School of Communication and Media, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA)

  • Tianen Chen

    (Department of Communication, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA)

Abstract

Small individual behaviors such as household energy-saving behaviors may have major environmental impacts. Individuals may combat global warming by replacing traditional light bulbs with more energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED bulbs, which save electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction, the current study explored the effects of five individual personality differences (i.e., consideration of future consequences, environmental value orientation, individualism and collectivism, regulatory focus, and self-monitoring) on young Millennials’ and Gen Z’s attitudes, perceived norms, perceived control, and intention to switch light bulbs. The results of a survey indicated that environmental value orientation, individualism and collectivism, regulatory focus, and self-monitoring all significantly predicted attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived control, which predicted behavioral intention. The findings suggested the complex psychological nuance of environmental protection behaviors, even among the “greenest” generations. Implications and directions for future studies were discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Minhao Dai & Tianen Chen, 2021. "They Are Just Light Bulbs, Right? The Personality Antecedents of Household Energy-Saving Behavioral Intentions among Young Millennials and Gen Z," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:24:p:13104-:d:700554
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cho, Yoon-Na & Thyroff, Anastasia & Rapert, Molly I. & Park, Seong-Yeon & Lee, Hyun Ju, 2013. "To be or not to be green: Exploring individualism and collectivism as antecedents of environmental behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1052-1059.
    2. Zou, Lili Wenli & Chan, Ricky Y.K., 2019. "Why and when do consumers perform green behaviors? An examination of regulatory focus and ethical ideology," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 113-127.
    3. Afzaal Ali & Guo Xiaoling & Adnan Ali & Mehkar Sherwani & Farhan Muhammad Muneeb, 2019. "Customer motivations for sustainable consumption: Investigating the drivers of purchase behavior for a green‐luxury car," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 833-846, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zbysław Dobrowolski & Grzegorz Drozdowski & Mirela Panait, 2022. "Understanding the Impact of Generation Z on Risk Management—A Preliminary Views on Values, Competencies, and Ethics of the Generation Z in Public Administration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Lia Marchi & Jacopo Gaspari, 2023. "Energy Conservation at Home: A Critical Review on the Role of End-User Behavior," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-22, November.
    3. Kalina Grzesiuk & Dorota Jegorow & Monika Wawer & Anna Głowacz, 2023. "Energy-Efficient City Transportation Solutions in the Context of Energy-Conserving and Mobility Behaviours of Generation Z," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-28, August.

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