Pro-environmental purchasing behavior : the inhibiting influence of the materialistic values

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research that examined the Pro-environmental Purchasing Behavior (PPB) and its relationships with consumers’ demographics, attitudes, namely Environmental Unconcern and personality variables, namely Materialism and Spheres of Control. K-means clustering indicated three groups of consumers that were named lower, average and higher engagement in PPB. It was found that consumers in the third cluster are mostly women, between 35 and 44 years old, graduates with average incomes. It was also indicated that consumers who hold higher level of locus of control over politics, lower levels of environmental unconcern and mainly lower levels of materialistic values are those who are more likely to enhance PPB.