Beyond pro-environmental consumerism: role of social exclusion and green self-identity in green product consumption intentions

In the context of social exclusion and pro-social or pro-environmental behaviors, past research has yielded inconclusive results. This study extended the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by including green self-identity (GSI) as a boundary condition to check the impact of social exclusion on green product consumption intentions through TPB's components. This study collected data from 476 respondents through online questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was applied to test the proposed model. Green product attitudes, subjective norms about green products, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were significantly predicted by social exclusion. Our results also reveal that TPB's components play an interceding role between social exclusion and green product consumption intentions. Moreover, regarding boundary conditions of GSI, the interaction between social exclusion and GSI was significant for green product attitudes and subjective norms about green products; however, it was not significant for PBC. Furthermore, the results of moderated mediation revealed that green self-identity moderated the indirect effects of social exclusion on green product consumption intentions through green product attitude and social norms about green products. Moreover, these effects were not significant in the case of PBC. This study has several implications for organizations and policymakers in the context of social exclusion and green product consumption.