Identity of green consumers: Why tough guys don't buy conventional light bulbs and frail women rechargeable batteries?
Abstract
People are motivated to green consumption by a combination of pro-environmental (Moisander, 2007; Whitmarsh & O'Neill, 2010), pro-social (Sachdeva et al. 2015) and health considerations (Joshi & Rahman, 2015) and are hindered by higher prices or reduced availability of green products (Sachdeva et al. 2015). However, the higher prices of green alternatives might account for the perception of green products as status symbols (Griskevicius et al., 2010).
Since little is known about the connection between the higher price and higher status attributed to green consumption we examined how the consumption of green and conventional goods with different prices is perceived with respect to status. It has been observed that altruism present in green consumption might function as a "costly signal" associated with status and implying that the higher price of green consumption might increase the desire for green products (Griskevicius et al., 2010).This piece of evidence has not yet been supported by evidence on how displays of environmentalism in consumption are perceived by others.
To investigate whether green consumption is indeed associated with a higher status, and to explore the role of cost in perceptions of status we conducted two studies expanding the 2 x 2 factorial between a subject experimental design originally used by Sadalla and Krull (1995). In the first study (N=259) each participant was shown a list of conventional or green products that a hypothetical (male vs. female) consumer had bought and was asked to rate him/her on a scale using a list of bipolar personality descriptors.
In the second study (N=267) each participant was shown the hypothetical consumers again with the green or conventional products this time with different price levels. The results show that status stereotypes attributed to people who engage in green consumption are widely shared by people across different social backgrounds and level of environmental attitudes.
Performed purchase of green products was found to have attributed to it a status superior to the purchase of conventional products. Contrary to earlier research (Griskevicius et al. 2010), a higher status is attributed to green consumption even when the price is lower than the price of the conventional alternative.
Findings suggest that higher price is not the only factor that accounts for higher status associated with green consumption. Green consumers were also perceived as more altruistic and more cooperative.
The observed relation between green consumption and status indicates that the race for higher social status could serve the expansion of green consumerism if the major barrier to this - the price - decreased, even among those who have no pro-environmental motivation for green consumption.