Exploring Green Purchase Intention for Organic Products: Insights from Young Consumers in Guangzhou City, China

Abstract

The United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development advocates for the adoption of green consumption practices. Organic products, a crucial element of sustainable consumption, fulfill consumer needs while alleviating stress on the agricultural ecosystem and promoting health benefits. A refined version of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is applied in this study to analyze the critical factors shaping the consumption intentions of young consumers in China and to verify the relationships among green environmental knowledge (EK), green perceived value (GPV), green perceived attitude (GPA), green social influence (GSI), and green purchase intention (GPI). A purposive sampling method was employed to conduct an effective cross-sectional survey among 648 participants, and the collected data provided reliable support for evaluating the research model. For the reliability analysis, Cronbach's alpha was employed, followed by confirmatory factor analysis using Smart PLS 4. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modelling (SEM) was subsequently applied. The results showed that Environmental Knowledge, Green Perceived Attitude, and Green Perceived Value positively influence Green Perceived Intention of young Chinese consumers for organic products, while Green Social Influence does not. Significant mediating roles are played by Green Perceived Value and Green Perceived Attitude in the relationship between Environmental Knowledge and Green Purchase Intention, as revealed by the results. The findings underscore that enhancing Environmental Knowledge, alongside leveraging Green Perceived Attitude and Green Perceived Value, is vital for fostering positive Green Purchase Intention towards organic food among consumers. With the results, policies can be developed by the government to promote organic food production and marketing, while also supporting businesses in optimizing their marketing strategies to effectively reach target consumers.