Impact of Environment-friendly Characteristics on Green Consumption Behavior : Mediating Effect of Environmental Responsibility and Moderating Effect of Green Self-efficacy-

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In recent years, global environmental issues have become increasingly severe, with climate change, biodiversity loss, and the excessive consumption of natural resources emerging as critical challenges that constrain sustainable development. At present, China’s economic and social development has entered a stage characterized by high-quality development that emphasizes green and low-carbon transformation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed ecological civilization at the forefront of national governance. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee emphasized the need to focus on building a “Beautiful China,” accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and promote Chinese-style modernization that achieves harmony between humanity and nature. As a key component of the comprehensive green transformation of development, green consumption not only directly contributes to resource conservation but also plays a significant role in improving environmental quality and creating reverse pressure on enterprises to adopt green production practices. However, despite the relatively high level of environmental awareness among consumers, actual pro-environmental behaviors remain limited, resulting in the widely acknowledged “value–action gap” in green consumption. Thus, promoting consumer engagement in green consumption has become an urgent practical issue. Meanwhile, due to the differing emphases of domestic and international research, as well as significant differences in economic systems, market environments, cultural backgrounds, and consumption habits across countries, existing findings cannot be universally applied to the Chinese context. Accordingly, investigating the factors and mechanisms that influence green consumption behavior is both urgent and of great importance for advancing the green transformation of consumption patterns. Grounded in environmental psychology and consumer behavior theory, this study explores the influence of individual psychological traits and moral-emotional factors on green consumption behavior. Specifically, it examines the impact of three dimensions of environment-friendly characteristics—namely, environmental sensitivity, environmental indebtedness, and empathy with nature—on green consumption behavior. Through a systematic review of existing literature and rigorous theoretical analysis, five hypotheses were proposed, covering the positive influence of environment-friendly characteristics on green consumption behavior, the mediating role of environmental responsibility between environment-friendly characteristics and green consumption behavior, and the moderating role of green self-efficacy between environmental responsibility and green consumption behavior. Based on these hypotheses, a comprehensive conceptual model was developed to guide the subsequent empirical analysis. A total of 1,727 valid responses are collected via an online questionnaire survey. The data are analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software. Descriptive statistical analysis, reliability and validity testing, and correlation analysis etc. statistical methods are conducted to verify the proposed hypotheses. The key empirical findings are as follows: environment-friendly characteristics positively influence green consumption behavior; environmental responsibility mediates the relationship between environment-friendly characteristics and green consumption behavior; and green self-efficacy moderates the relationship between environmental responsibility and green consumption behavior. Theoretically, this study expands the emotional dimension of green consumption behavior research by emphasizing the role of affective and moral drivers. It also refines and extends the conceptualization and structural dimensions of environmental responsibility as a core mediating variable. Moreover, the study deepens our understanding of the moderating mechanism of green self-efficacy within the pathway of green consumption behavior. In practical terms, the empirical results provide valuable insights for enterprise-level green marketing strategies, government policy formulation, and public initiatives aimed at promoting green consumption. The study thereby contributes both theoretical enrichment and practical guidance to the advancement of sustainable consumption in the Chinese context.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1. Introduction 1
• 1.1 Research Background 1
• 1.2 Research Objectives 5
• 1.3 Research Gaps and Contributions 8
• 1.4 Organization of the Dissertation 11
• Chapter 2. Literature Review 16
• 2.1 Environment-friendly Characteristics 16
• 2.1.1 Definition of Environmental Sensitivity 16
• 2.1.2 Related Research on Environmental Sensitivity 20
• 2.1.3 Definition of Environmental Indebtedness 23
• 2.1.4 Related Research on Environmental Indebtedness 27
• 2.1.5 Definition of Empathy with Nature 31
• 2.1.6 Related Research on Empathy with Nature 33
• 2.2 Environmental Responsibility 38
• 2.2.1 Definition of Environmental Responsibility 38
• 2.2.2 Related Research on Environmental Responsibility 41
• 2.3 Green Self-efficacy 44
• 2.3.1 Definition of Green Self-efficacy 44
• 2.3.2 Relevant Research on Green Self-efficacy 47
• 2.4 Green Consumption Behavior 52
• 2.4.1 Definition of Green Consumption Behavior 52
• 2.4.2 Related Research on Green Consumption Behavior 60
• Chapter 3. Research Design 69
• 3.1 Research Model 69
• 3.2 Research Hypothesis 71
• 3.2.1 Relationship between Environment-friendly Characteristics and Green Consumption Behavior 71
• 3.2.2 Relationship between Environment-friendly Characteristics and Environmental Responsibility 75
• 3.2.3 Relationship between Environment Responsibility and Green Consumption Behavior 78
• 3.2.4 Environment Responsibility as a Mediating Variable in the Relationship between Environment-friendly Characteristics and Green Consumption Behavior 81
• 3.2.5 Green Self-efficacy as a Moderating Variable in the Relationship between Environment Responsibility and Green Consumption Behavior 84
• 3.3 Measurement 85
• 3.4 Data Collection and Methods 93
• Chapter 4. Results and Analysis 99
• 4.1 Demographic Descriptive Statistics 99
• 4.2 Descriptive Analysis of Variables 102
• 4.3 Reliability and Validity Analysis 105
• 4.3.1 Reliability Analysis 105
• 4.3.2 Exploratory Factor Analysis 109
• 4.3.3 Confirmatory Factor Analysis 116
• 4.4 Correlation Analysis 122
• 4.5 Hypothesis Testing 124
• 4.5.1 Structural Equation Model Test 125
• 4.5.2 Path Coefficient Analysis 129
• 4.5.3 Mediating Effect Analysis 133
• 4.5.4 Moderating Effect Analysis 136
• 4.5.4.1 Moderating Effect of GSE between ENCO and GCB 136
• 4.5.4.2 Moderating Effect of GSE between ENAT and GCB 140
• 4.5.4.3 Moderating Effect of GSE between ENCA and GCB 144
• 4.6 Conclusion of Hypothesis Testing 148
• Chapter 5. Conclusion 151
• 5.1 Main Findings and Discussions 151
• 5.2 Implications 158
• 5.2.1 Theoretical Implications 158
• 5.2.2 Practical Implications 161
• 5.3 Limitations and Future Research Direction 165
• References 170
• 국문초록 193
• Appendix：Questionnaire (English) 195