Cognitive and emotional factors contributing to green customer citizenship behaviours: a moderated mediation model

This study aims to provide novel insight into cognitive and emotional factors contributing to green customer citizenship behaviours, as mediated by green attitudes in general and moderated by culture.

The investigation was guided by the “value attitude behaviour hierarchy” and green customer emotions, which served as a framework for understanding the mediating effect of attitude on the relationships between cognitive and emotional factors (green consumption values and emotional affinity towards nature) and customer citizenship advocacy and feedback behaviours. Data was obtained from respondents in the USA and South Korea. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, bootstrapping and Wald tests were performed to conclude on the model and verify the moderating effect of culture on the indirect effects established.

In both countries, green consumption values and emotional affinity towards nature positively influence green attitudes and stimulate feedback behaviour. Green attitudes only predict advocacy in the USA. Culture moderates the majority of the indirect effects examined.

The model presents a novel approach to stimulate green advocacy and feedback behaviours and may aid firms in closing the “green gap” and co-create value with customers. Firms could profit from customers advocating the benefits of green purchasing to other customers and providing feedback on interventions required that will convince reluctant customers to make a purchase.

This study offers a multicultural perspective on the connection between a novel set of cognitive and emotional factors and green customer citizenship advocacy and feedback behaviours that may directly and indirectly influence green purchasing, value co-creation and closing of the “green gap”.