IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i2p183-d88963.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants of Pro-Environmental Consumption: Multicountry Comparison Based upon Big Data Search

Author

Listed:
  • Donghyun Lee

    (Department of Business Administration, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do 15073, Korea)

  • Suna Kang

    (Korea Environment Institute, 370, Sicheong-daero, Sejong 30147, Korea)

  • Jungwoo Shin

    (Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi 17104, Korea)

Abstract

The Korean government has promoted a variety of environmental policies to revitalize pro-environmental consumption, and the government’s budget for this purpose has increased. However, there is a lack of quantitative data and analysis regarding the effects upon the pro-environmental consumption of education and changing public awareness of the environment. In addition, to improve pro-environmental consumption, the determinant and hindrance factors of pro-environmental consumption should be analyzed in advance. Accordingly, herein we suggest a pro-environmental consumption index that represents the condition of pro-environmental consumption based on big data queries and use the index to analyze determinants of and hindrances to pro-environmental consumption. To verify the reliability of the proposed indicator, we examine the correlation between the proposed indicator and Greendex, an existing survey-based indicator. In addition, we conduct an analysis of the determinants of pro-environmental consumption across 13 countries based upon the proposed indicator. The index is highest for Argentina and average for Korea. An analysis of the determinants shows that the levels of health expenditure, the ratio of the population aged over 65 years, and past orientation are significantly negatively related to the pro-environmental consumption index, but the level of preprimary education is significantly positively related with it. We also find that high-GDP countries have a significantly positive relationship between economy growth and pro-environmental consumption, but low-GDP countries do not have this relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Donghyun Lee & Suna Kang & Jungwoo Shin, 2017. "Determinants of Pro-Environmental Consumption: Multicountry Comparison Based upon Big Data Search," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:183-:d:88963
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/183/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/183/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, Donghyun & Kim, Minki & Lee, Jungyoun, 2016. "Adoption of green electricity policies: Investigating the role of environmental attitudes via big data-driven search-queries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 187-201.
    2. Roberts, James A., 1996. "Green Consumers in the 1990s: Profile and Implications for Advertising," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 217-231, July.
    3. Thomas P. Lyon & Haitao Yin, 2010. "Why Do States Adopt Renewable Portfolio Standards?: An Empirical Investigation," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3), pages 133-158.
    4. Newsom, Jason T. & McFarland, Bentson H. & Kaplan, Mark S. & Huguet, Nathalie & Zani, Brigid, 2005. "The health consciousness myth: implications of the near independence of major health behaviors in the North American population," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 433-437, January.
    5. Welsch, Heinz & Kühling, Jan, 2009. "Determinants of pro-environmental consumption: The role of reference groups and routine behavior," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 166-176, November.
    6. Efthimis N. Efthimiadis, 2000. "Interactive query expansion: A user‐based evaluation in a relevance feedback environment," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 51(11), pages 989-1003.
    7. Diamantopoulos, Adamantios & Schlegelmilch, Bodo B. & Sinkovics, Rudolf R. & Bohlen, Greg M., 2003. "Can socio-demographics still play a role in profiling green consumers? A review of the evidence and an empirical investigation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 56(6), pages 465-480, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Donghyun Lee & Suna Kang & Jungwoo Shin, 2017. "Using Deep Learning Techniques to Forecast Environmental Consumption Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-17, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. 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.
    2. Wintschnig, Bea Alexandra, 2021. "The Attitude-Behavior Gap – Drivers and Barriers of Sustainable Consumption," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 6(2), pages 324-346.
    3. Micael-Lee Johnstone & Lay Tan, 2015. "Exploring the Gap Between Consumers’ Green Rhetoric and Purchasing Behaviour," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 311-328, December.
    4. Matteo Migheli, 2021. "Green purchasing: the effect of parenthood and gender," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(7), pages 10576-10600, July.
    5. Gonçalves, Helena Martins & Lourenço, Tiago Ferreira & Silva, Graça Miranda, 2016. "Green buying behavior and the theory of consumption values: A fuzzy-set approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1484-1491.
    6. González-Limón, José Manuel & Pablo-Romero, María del P. & Sánchez-Braza, Antonio, 2013. "Understanding local adoption of tax credits to promote solar-thermal energy: Spanish municipalities' case," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 277-284.
    7. Carmen Berné-Manero & Marta Pedraja-Iglesias & Pilar Ramo-Sáez, 2017. "Socially responsible markets involved in the consumer-organization identification process," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 14(2), pages 179-196, June.
    8. Sánchez-Braza, Antonio & Pablo-Romero, María del P., 2014. "Evaluation of property tax bonus to promote solar thermal systems in Andalusia (Spain)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 832-843.
    9. Chad M. Baum & Christian Gross, 2017. "Sustainability policy as if people mattered: developing a framework for environmentally significant behavioral change," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 53-95, April.
    10. Johan Jansson, 2011. "Consumer eco‐innovation adoption: assessing attitudinal factors and perceived product characteristics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 192-210, March.
    11. Kalamas, Maria & Cleveland, Mark & Laroche, Michel, 2014. "Pro-environmental behaviors for thee but not for me: Green giants, green Gods, and external environmental locus of control," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 12-22.
    12. Chad M. Baum, 2013. "The Missing Link between Research and Reality: the significance of the relationship between retail format and organic food consumption," Jena Economics Research Papers 2013-049, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    13. Balderjahn, Ingo & Peyer, Mathias & Seegebarth, Barbara & Wiedmann, Klaus-Peter & Weber, Anja, 2018. "The many faces of sustainability-conscious consumers: A category-independent typology," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 83-93.
    14. Deepti Jog & Divya Singhal, 2024. "Greenwashing Understanding Among Indian Consumers and Its Impact on Their Green Consumption," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 25(2), pages 491-511, April.
    15. Iulia C. Muresan & Rezhen Harun & Felix H. Arion & Anca Monica Brata & Ioan Aurel Chereches & Gabriela O. Chiciudean & Diana E. Dumitras & Camelia F. Oroian & Olivia Paula Tirpe, 2021. "Consumers’ Attitude towards Sustainable Food Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Romania," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-15, October.
    16. Lucyna Witek & Wiesława Kuźniar, 2020. "Green Purchase Behavior: The Effectiveness of Sociodemographic Variables for Explaining Green Purchases in Emerging Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, December.
    17. Sidali, Katia Laura & Spiller, Achim & von Meyer-Hofer, Marie, 2016. "Consumer Expectations Regarding Sustainable Food: Insights from Developed and Emerging Markets," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 19(3), pages 1-30, August.
    18. Nambiar, Padmanand Madhavan & Florkowski, Wojciech J. & Suh, Dong-Kyun, 2012. "Attitudes of Urban Female Consumers Toward Food Production Practices in the Republic of Korea," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124811, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    19. Ariadna Gabarda-Mallorquí & Rosa Maria Fraguell & Anna Ribas, 2018. "Exploring Environmental Awareness and Behavior among Guests at Hotels That Apply Water-Saving Measures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-15, April.
    20. Nitika Sharma & Raiswa Saha & V. Raja Sreedharan & Justin Paul, 2020. "Relating the role of green self‐concepts and identity on green purchasing behaviour: An empirical analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3203-3219, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:183-:d:88963. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.