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Green Consumer Behavior of the Educated Segment in

India
Rajyalakshmi Nittala

Department of Commerce and Management Studies , Andhra University Visakhapatnam ,

India
Published online: 03 Mar 2014.

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To cite this article: Rajyalakshmi Nittala (2014) Green Consumer Behavior of the Educated Segment in India, Journal of
International Consumer Marketing, 26:2, 138-152, DOI: 10.1080/08961530.2014.878205
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Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 26:138152, 2014

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Copyright 
ISSN: 0896-1530 print / 1528-7068 online
DOI: 10.1080/08961530.2014.878205

Green Consumer Behavior of the Educated Segment

in India
Rajyalakshmi Nittala

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ABSTRACT. Green consumption behavior is an essential requirement for long-term sustainable

development of the Earths civilization. Several authors have found education to be one of the key
factors influencing green consumption behavior. This study identifies the factors influencing the
willingness of university teachers to purchase green products and the predictor variables that distinguish
teachers who are willing or unwilling to purchase green products. The findings show that product
recycling has a positive influence and comfort, eco-labeling, and lack of information have a negative
influence on the willingness of university teachers to purchase green products. Switching products for
ecological reasons, preference for ecological quality, and a consideration that plastic carry bags are
more convenient and should not be banned are good discriminators between the groups willing to buy
and not willing to buy green products. The teachers are aware of environmental activism, even though
their concerns do not always translate into green consumer behavior.

KEYWORDS. Green marketing, green consumer behavior, environment-friendly, eco-labeling,

educated consumers

INTRODUCTION
Environmental pollution is one of the most
serious problems facing humanity and other
life-forms on the earth today. In 2011 India
was ranked as the seventh most environmentally
hazardous country in the world, Brazil was found
to be the worst on environmental indicators,
and Singapore was the best. The United States
was rated second-worst and China third-worst
(UNEP 2011). A major consequence of Chinas
and Indias rapid growth will be an ongoing depletion of natural resources. Vital commodities
will experience severe shortages as aspirations
for economic progress and better lifestyles of
people are met (Czinkota et al. 2009). Many

issues have caused adverse environmental impacts in India. The general population here is so
carried away by the benefits of industrialization
and urbanization that the people avoid thinking
about the environmental impact.
Today, environmental knowledge is on the
rise. Many laws have come into force. Even so,
the land and forest cover have decreased, fresh
water resources are polluted, groundwater levels
have decreased and air pollution increased, leading to a rise in several diseases (Krishna 2011).
Vehicle emissions are responsible for 70% of
the countrys air pollution. According to the
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers,
annual vehicle sales are projected to increase
to 5 million by 2015 and more than 9 million

Rajyalakshmi Nittala is affiliated with the Department of Commerce and Management Studies, Andhra
University Visakhapatnam, India.
Address correspondence to Rajyalakshmi Nittala, Professor, Department of Commerce and Management
Studies, Andhra University Visakhapatnam, India, 530003. E-mail: nittalarl@yahoo.co.in
138

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Rajyalakshmi Nittala

by 2020. This may worsen by 2050 as India

is expected to top the world in car volumes
with approximately 611 million vehicles on
the nations roads (Ramanathan 2004). Prabhu
(2009), former union environment minister of
India, said that the country has stringent laws for
dealing with environmental issues, but the laws
are not being enforced. The people alone cant be
blamed; the government is equally responsible.
Concerted and decisive actions are lacking on
the part of the government, as larger issues like
climate change and Asian Brown Cloud are not
adequately addressed.
On the basis of data collected between 1995
and 2010, the experts panel of the World
Bank certified that India is one of the fastestprogressing countries in the world in terms of
addressing environmental issues and improving
environmental quality (World Bank 2010). Still,
India has a long way to go yet to reach the
environmental quality enjoyed in developed
economies. The challenge that India faces on
the pollution front is large indeed, and marketers
have a great opportunity to develop environmentally friendly technologies and products (World
Bank 2011).
A number of countries have developed
schemes in which a product that conforms to
a set of criteria is granted a recognized seal
of approval, better known as an eco-label. In
1991 the Union Ministry of Environment and
Forests (MoEF) of India introduced a scheme to
label certain consumer products as environmentally friendly. Under the scheme, the products
that are less harmful to the environment and
human health or have a benign impact on the
environment through various stages of development, manufacture, use, packaging, distribution,
consumption, disposal, and recycling may be
awarded the eco-mark label. The scheme is
executed with the help of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS). The logo is that of an earthen
pot, a symbol interwoven in the Indian way
of life. But as of 2013, not a single product
carries this mark. Godrej Soaps was awarded the
mark for their brand Eezee, but the company has
subsequently allowed its license to lapse (Suneja
2010).

139

GREEN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Technological innovations, such as development of alternative fuels, energy-efficient
appliances, and recycling of waste materials
can reduce environmental degradation and offer
remarkable gains in conserving resources and
reducing pollution, but many scientists and
environmentalists hold that solutions to environmental problems do not lie in technology alone
(Hardin 1993; Stern, Young, and Druckman
1992). They suggest that individuals with a
higher level of environmental concern may
more likely engage in ecologically conscious
consumer behavior. To advance a countrys
green revolution, McGougall (1993) asserts that
the role of the consumer is essential, as 30%
to 40% of environmental degradation has been
brought about by consumption activities of
private households. Consumers need to adopt
environmentally sound behavior that leads them
to use public transportation, reduce the use of
natural resources, and recycle household wastes.
More importantly, if consumers exhibit a high
degree of ecological consciousness, marketers
will be strongly motivated to adopt green marketing and opt for eco-labeling. Thus, to better
understand the environmental movement of a
particular nation, an examination of how its
consumers view and feel about ecological issues
ultimately affecting their behavior serves as a
good starting point (Chan 2001).

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Environmentally concerned behavior has
been given various names, e.g., eco-friendly
behavior, socially responsible behavior, etc.,
and consumers possessing this behavior have
been labeled as green consumers, socially conscious consumers, etc. (Singh 2009). For the
environmentally concerned consumer, reducing
current consumption amounts is not the only
option today, as green alternatives for many
products are available. Providing knowledge on
green consumption choices is the onus of the
marketers. Although higher price and limited
availability may discourage consumption of

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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER MARKETING

green products (Orten and Atik 2009), there is a

growing amount of evidence showing that consumers are choosing products or avoiding others
based on their impact on the natural environment
(Laroche, Bergeron, and Barbaro-Forleo 2001).
It is also suggested that green consumers are
willing to pay more for ecologically friendly
products (Coddington 1993).
Marketers should give clear and factual information about the greenness of their activities
(Shrum, McCarty, and Lowrey 1995). Among
mothers in the UK who shop at supermarkets,
most of them would favor products manufactured by greener companies, but they cannot
easily identify greener products (Pickett-Baker
and Ozaki 2008). The green consumer is an
opinion leader and a careful shopper who seeks
information on products from advertising but
is also skeptical about advertising. Marketers
might cause consumers to doubt their environmental claims (Bloom 2008). Due to the
complexities of green products and business
practices, marketers do experience difficulty in
convincing consumers (Robert 2010). Environmental certification strengthens confidence in
a products ecological claims. This would also
help to improve the brand attitude and brand
equity (Rios et al. 2006). Eco-labeling is well
known and respected among consumers, and it
could be very useful for marketers to differentiate themselves. Self-declared eco-labels have a
positive effect on market efficiency, and sellers
stand to benefit (Bougherara and Piguet 2009).
Generally, consumption is intended to make
life easier and more comfortable, which may
itself act as an impediment to green consumption
as it means sacrificing consumer comforts. Follows and Jobber (2000) opined that the goals of
an individuals self-indulgence and self-reward
act in a negative way on the environment. But
environmental concern need not necessarily be
a predictor of attitudes and behavior regarding
specific or isolated acts (Conraud-Koellner and
Rivas-Tovar 2009). In fact, a person may show a
favorable attitude toward the environment and a
negative attitude toward recycling, considering
this process to be uncomfortable. In Western
countries the directions of local, state, and
federal governments are binding on consumers.
But in poorer countries with a lack of a strong

institutional mechanism to act in favor of the

environment, local citizens need to take up
activity to protect the environment themselves
(Sammer and Wustenhagen 2006).
Daz and Palacio (2006) concluded that the
gender, education, income, domestic conditions,
and economical reinforcements can help to
find specific strategies to promote the green
consumption. In addition, demographics, e.g.,
the zone of residence, affect the way in which
consumers recycle. Domestic conditions and
the existence of legal and economic incentives
also fomented a slightly indifferent recycling
response.
Another important component of environmental responsibility is the willingness to act.
Willingness to act, inferred as the locus of
control (Hungerford and Yolk 1990; Hines,
Hungerford, and Tomera 1987) pervades the
arena of green consumption, as green purchasing
behavior depends on the individuals intention to purchase green products (Chan 1999).
Consumers in the U.S. do not always base
their buying decisions on their attitudes toward
the environment, even though these attitudes
can have a fairly strong influence on their
purchases (Vlosky, Ozanne, and Fontenot 1999)
due to situational limitations. Hume (1991), on
the basis of consumers self-reported actions,
concluded that although many consumers say
they are proenvironment, they often do not
act that way. Several studies have been made
investigating the relationship between attitudes
toward the environment and the buying of
products (Schwepker and Cornwell 1991; Rios
et al. 2006) or the intentions of use (Alwitt and
Berger 1993). It seems that a greater likelihood
to buy green products happens when consumers
are more closely involved with the environment
(Schuhwerk and Lefkokk-Hagius 1995). Individuals with a strong internal locus of control
feel more strongly about and are more willing
to act to do something to save the environment
(Hwang and Kim 2000). There is a positive
relationship between environmental concern and
environmentally responsible intentions to act
(McGuire 1992). Some consumers, however,
may be willing to act, but not willing to make
personal sacrifices (Krause 1993). Consumers
attitudes toward green purchases, in turn, are

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Rajyalakshmi Nittala

also found to affect their actual green purchase

behavior via the mediator role of green purchase
intention. However, one of the other important
findings suggests that the link between intention
and actual purchase is weak (Mostafa 2007).
The emotional bond of consumers toward the
environment, often called ecological affect in
the literature, shows a consistency that supports
the positive relationship between ecological
affect and the intention to buy environmentally friendly products in China (Chan 1999).
Ling-yee (1997) found that consumers lacking in
ecological knowledge still have strong emotion
about the intention of buying environmentally
friendly products. In the U.S., more than half of
all consumers actively consider environmental
sustainability characteristics in their buying
decisions, but they buy green products in fewer
than a quarter of shopping occasions (Deloitte
and GMA 2009).
Education is an important demographic variable influencing consumer behavior. The general perception is that education plays an important role in encouraging change and that
educated consumers are more socially responsible. In several studies, a consistent hypothesized relationship was found between education
and green consumer behavior (Leonard-Barton
1981; Roberts 1995, 1996; Roper 1990, 1992;
Van Liere and Dunlap 1981; Zimmer, Stafford,
and Stafford 1994; Diamantopoulos et al. 2003).
Education is expected to be positively correlated
with environmental concerns and behavior (Kohut and Shriver 1989; Vining and Ebreo 1990),
but this relationship appears to be weakening
(Gallup and Newport 1990; Hines et al. 1987).
Although the results of studies examining education and environmental issues are somewhat
more consistent than other demographic variables, a definitive relationship between the two
variables has not been established (Straughan
and Roberts 1999). Indeed, a study on education
and sustained behavior change in adults showed
a 0% correlation (Coradini et al. 2010). Kinnear,
Taylor, and Ahmed (1974) had earlier found no
significant relationship between education and
environmental attitudes. Interestingly, the opposite relationship between education and environmental attitudes was also noticed (Samdahl and
Robertson 1989). In support of this finding, in

141

the case of urban respondents in India, an inverse

relationship is reported between educational
level and the means of the quantified Socially
Responsible Consumer Behavior (Singh 2009).
Thus, conflicting conclusions are there, and the
problem is wide open.
Education increases knowledge and an awareness of the advantages or risks. University
teachers are one of the most highly educated
groups segments that should be expected to
have high ecological awareness. This study seeks
to extend knowledge about green consumer
behavior of university teachers, where virtually
no research has been conducted in the realm of
eco-orientation among educated consumers.

THEORETICAL MODEL AND

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
This study helps to identify the factors that
influence the willingness of university teachers
to purchase green products and to distinguish
between the teachers willing to purchase green
products and teachers who are not willing
to purchase in terms of predictor variables.
Figure 1 shows six main variables identified
from the literature to provide further insights
about willingness to purchase green products:
environmental concern, comfort, lack of information, recycle, green shops, and eco-labeling,
with the purpose of eventually applying them in
environmental marketing strategies.
H1, H4, H5, and H6 are positively associated
while H2 and H3 are negatively associated
with the willingness to purchase green
products.
The null hypothesis to distinguish between
the teachers willing to purchase green products
from teachers not willing to purchase in terms
of predictor variables is stated as:
H0: There is no difference between teachers
willing to buy and not willing to buy green
products as measured by the relevant set of
environmental concern variables.

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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER MARKETING

FIGURE 1. Proposed Research Model for Willingness to Purchase Green Products

Environmental
concern

H1
Comfort

H2
Lack of
informaon

H3

Willingness to
purchase green
products

H4
Recycle

H5
H6

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Green shops

Eco-label

METHODOLOGY

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

The respondents were selected from the

Colleges of Arts and Commerce and Science
and Technology of Andhra University, India.
A questionnaire was designed by considering
relevant questions from previous studies (e.g.,
Straughan and Roberts 1999), but most of the
questions were specially developed for this
study. A pilot study consisting of 30 respondents
was made prior to designing the final version
of the questionnaire, in two sections. The first
section is of demographic data, and the second
section consists of 19 green consumer behavior
items. The method used to collect the data is
delivery and collection.
The teachers served with the questionnaire
were 213 Science faculty and 162 Humanities
faculty, on rolls in August 2012. Out of the total
375 served, a total of 160 teachers participated,
that is, 43% of the population. Around a third
of the participants (31%) are females. All the
variables used in this study are measured on a
5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 =
strongly agree). The scale is reversed for negative statements namely Plastic carry bags are
more convenient and should not be banned and
I usually consume the lowest-priced product,
regardless of its impact on society.

SPSS (16.0) software was used for analysis

of the data. Simple percentages were used for
analysis of demographic data. To assess the reliability of the collected data, Cronbachs alpha
reliability test was performed on all the measured items. Stepwise exploratory factor analysis
was used to determine the factors underlying
green consumer behavior of university teachers.
The regression analysis was conducted in order
to find out the impact as well as predictors
among the independent variables, i.e., green
consumption variables on the willingness to
purchase green products. Discriminant analysis
was applied to distinguish between the teachers
willing to purchase green products and teachers
not willing to purchase in terms of predictor, i.e.,
independent variables (factors) and their relative
importance, the dependant variable being the
willingness of the teachers to purchase green
products.

RESULTS
Reliability
The 19 items used to measure the awareness
about the environmental impacts of products and

Rajyalakshmi Nittala

TABLE 1. Demographic Profile of

Respondents

TABLE 2. Ranks of Purchasing Criteria

Criterion

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Characteristic
Age
<30 Years
3040 Years
4050 Years
5060 Years
>60 Years
Gender
Male
Female
Family size
1
2
3
4
5
Monthly family income (Rs.)
<50,000 ($1,000)
50,00175,000
($1,0001,500)
75,0011,00,000
($1,5002,000)
1,00,0001,50,000
($2,0003,000)
1,50,0002,00,000
($3,0004,000)
>2,00,000 ($4,000)
Faculty of the respondents
Sciences
Humanities

Number of
respondents

143

Percentage

3
14
39
91
13

1.9
8.8
24.4
56.9
8.1

111
49

69.4
30.6

13
28
99
16
4

8.1
17.5
61.9
10.0
2.5

24
27

15.0
16.9

61

38.1

0.6

14

8.8

5.6

79
81

49.4
50.6

specific proenvironmental consumption among

the university teachers had a validated reliability
measure of 0.683 Cronbachs alpha.

Demographic Profile of the Respondents

The demographic profile of the 160 respondents used in the study is provided in table 1. A
majority of the respondents are males belonging
to the age group of 50 to 60 years and having
an average monthly family income between Rs.
50,001 ($1,000) and Rs.1,00,000 ($2,000). Most
of them have three members in the family.
As the respondents are all university teachers,
their education level is PhD. The sample is
almost evenly distributed between sciences and
humanities faculty groups.

Rank

Price

EF

MRE

EE

Note. Q = quality; A = advertising; B = brand; C = certification;

EF = environmentally friendly; MRE = manufacturers reputation for
environment; EE = energy efficient.

Consumer Decisions
It is not uncommon to enter a retail outlet
with the intention of purchasing a particular
brand but to leave with a different brand or
additional items. Various factors that supply
additional information influence the consumer
decision. The decision criteria the consumers
use to evaluate and buy a brand or a product
are useful data for marketers for segmentation,
targeting, and positioning. Respondents were
asked to rank their decision criteria to understand
the importance of environmental concerns in
their purchasing decisions. The ranks given to
various factors by the respondents are presented
in table 2.
The respondents ranked quality as a prime
factor, and price was ranked second in their
consumer decisions. Environmental concern was
ranked fifth. Two-thirds of the respondents said
that they buy green products, but 34% of the
respondents buy the lowest priced products
regardless of their impact on the environment.
This shows that there is a visible difference
between environmental concern and behavior.

Descriptive Analysis
Descriptive analysis was used in this research
to ascertain the factors influencing the green
consumption behavior of educated consumers.
Table 3 illustrates the mean scores of each
statement of green consumer behavior. It was
found that the sample respondents are aware
that the consumer behavior of each one of them
can have an impact on the environment and
that they should change to a green lifestyle,
but unfortunately, they are too busy to do so.
Respondents are moderate in their opinion about
the twin assertions of using a shopping bag
to avoid plastic carry bags and that the plastic
carry bags are more convenient and should

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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER MARKETING

TABLE 3. Descriptive Statistics

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Variable
Each consumers behavior can have an impact
on the environment.
They should change to green lifestyle but are
too busy to do so.
Using the shopping bag to avoid plastic carry
bags.
The plastic carry bags are more convenient and
should not be banned.
Separate shops to sell environmentally friendly
products.
Consider changing consumer durables
frequently causes damage to the environment
(SD = 1.27).
Switched products for ecological reasons.
To save energy they drive their vehicles as little
as possible.
Try to buy energy-saving efficient household
appliances.
Purchase the products that can be recycled.
Purchase the lowest-priced product, regardless
of its impact on society.
Whenever possible they purchase the products
in reusable containers.
They are not sure which products and packing
material are recyclable.
Marketers must advertise the environmental
aspects of their products.
Respondents trust the eco claims in the
advertisements.
Government must make eco-labeling
mandatory.
Purchase the products if they are certified by
environmental organizations.

Mean
4.11
2.99
3.48
3.02
3.43
3.57

3.86
3.94
4.14
3.79
2.71
3.21
2.95
4.20
3.91
4.15
3.96

not be banned. They feel that there must be

separate shops to sell environmentally friendly
products and moderately agree that changing
consumer durables frequently causes damage to
the environment.
Consumer awareness plays an important role
in purchasing behavior. To determine the awareness of green products among the respondents,
they were asked to select from a list of some
green consumer products. A majority of respondents (82.5%) are aware of all the available
products. The rest are aware of the common
green consumer products, namely paper, cotton,
jute bags, and solar-powered products.
The consumers switched products for ecological reasons. To save energy, they drive their
vehicles as little as possible and try to buy
energy-saving efficient household appliances

and to purchase products that can be recycled.

At the same time, they usually purchase the
lowest-priced product, regardless of its impact
on society. Whenever possible, they purchase
products in reusable containers. They are not
sure which products and packing materials are
recyclable.
When asked about their information sources
for green products, a majority of the respondents (33%) identified both internal and external sources, followed by print magazines
and TV (25%), friends and relatives (11.9%),
past experience (9.4%), advertisements (6.3%),
and government agencies (5.6%). Somewhat
less useful were websites (3.8%), consumer
groups (2.5%), product trials (0.6%), and sales
personnel (0.6%).
University teachers strongly agree that marketers must advertise the environmental aspects
of their products, as they (the respondents)
trust the eco-claims in the advertisements. They
strongly consider that government should make
eco-labeling mandatory, as the respondents do
go by the certification from environmental organizations in their purchase behavior.

Results of Factor Analysis

Table 4 presents the summary of factor
analysis. The results of the principal components factor analysis using varimax rotation
yielded eight factors that explained 64.32% of
the variance. The first three factors, namely
environmental concern, eco-labeling, and lack
of information, together explain as much as
half (33.4%) of the variance. The fourth factor,
which explains 6.57% of the variance, is labeled
recycle. The fifth factor, which explained
6.56% of the variance, is labeled comfort. The
sixth factor, explaining 6.21% of the variance,
is labeled purchasing intention. The seventh
factor, explaining 5.86% of the variance, is
labeled preference of green outlet. The eighth
factor, explaining 5.7% of variance, is labeled
awareness of green outlets.

Multiple Regression Analysis

The regression analysis was conducted to test
the hypotheses to find out the relationship between green consumption variables and the willingness of university teachers to purchase green

Rajyalakshmi Nittala

145

TABLE 4. Factors Influencing Green Purchase Behavior

Factor
F1

F2

Factor
interpretation

% Variance
explained

Environmental
concern

13.3

Eco-labeling

10.54

Loading

Variables included in the factor

0.795
0.690
0.676

I try to buy energy-efficient household appliances.

I try to buy products that can be recycled.
Each consumers behavior can have an impact on the
environment.
To save energy, I drive my vehicle as little as possible.
I have switched products for ecological reasons.
Whenever possible, I buy products packaged in reusable
containers.
I purchase the green products if they are certified by
Environmental Organization.
I trust the eco-friendly claims in the advertisements.
Marketers must advertise the environmental aspects of their
products.
Government must make eco-labeling mandatory.
I have doubts about the true impact of green products.
I am not sure which products and packing material are recyclable.
I do not have the information to be personally involved in green
behavior.
I know that I should change to a green lifestyle, but Im too busy.
Changing the consumer durables (Ex. TV, refrigerator,
computers, etc) frequently causes damage to the environment.
I use shopping bag to avoid plastic carry bags.
Plastic carry bags are more convenient and should not be
banned.
I usually purchase the lowest-priced product, regardless of its
impact on society.
You or another member of your family buy green products if
available.
There must be separate shops to sell environmentally friendly
products.
Awareness of any exclusive shops for environmentally friendly
products.

0.653
0.531
0.652
0.638

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0.631
0.562
0.523
0.741
0.666
0.656

F3

Lack of
information

9.56

F4

Recycle

6.57

0.632
0.779

F5

Comfort

6.56

0.511
0.730
0.700

F6
F7
F8

Purchase
intention
Preference of
green outlet
Awareness of
green outlets

6.21

0.818

5.86

0.873

5.70

0.875

products in order to strengthen the proposition.

The collinearity statistics in table 5 indicate that
there is no multicollinearity problem since the
variance inflation factor (VIF) is less than 5
(Malhotra 1999). The value of adjusted R2 shows
that 58.9% of the variability in willingness to
purchase green products is explained by green
consumption variables. The model also shows
that F value of analysis of variance (ANOVA) is
29.455 (p < .000), which indicates that all the
variables are associated with the willingness.
From the regression analysis, comfort, lack
of information, recycle, and eco-labeling have
larger positive coefficients and hence significantly influence willingness, thereby supporting
H2, H3, H4, and H6. Hence, these variables
are better taken into consideration in order to

influence the university teachers to purchase

green products. Unpredictably, eco-labeling has
a significant negative influence on willingness.
But environmental concern, preference, and
awareness of green outlets (H1 and H5) also have
negative but insignificant coefficients toward
green purchase behavior. Hence H1 and H5 are
not supported.

Results of Discriminant Analysis

In table 6, Wilks lambda, which tested
function for statistical significance and the
stepwise analysis, identified one discriminant
function that is statistically significant. The
Wilks lambda associated with discriminant
function is 0.786, which transforms to a chi

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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER MARKETING

TABLE 5. Multiple Regression Analysis

Model
Constant
Environmental concern
Eco-labeling
Lack of information
Recycle
Comfort
Preference for green outlets
Awareness of green outlets

SE

Sig.

1.362
0.010
0.210
0.173
0.259
0.652
0.032
0.022

0.031
0.031
0.031
0.031
0.031
0.031
0.031
0.031

43.398
0.198
4.136
3.398
5.085
12.816
0.623
0.437

0.000
0.844
0.000
0.001
0.000
0.000
0.534
0.663

Collinearity statistics (VIF)

1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000

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Note. Adjusted R 2 = 0.589 for model; F value of ANOVA = 29.455; p value < 0.000.

square of 35.482 with 22 degrees of freedom and

is significant at a 0.034 level. It indicated a significant overall difference between the groups.
The classification results in table 7 show that
the teachers who are willing to consume green
products are the more accurately classified with
91.1% of the cases correct. For the teachers not
willing to buy, 43.8% of the cases were correctly
classified. Overall, the original grouped cases
that were classified correctly are 76.9%, which is
a good predictive function. Between the teachers
who are willing and not willing to buy, the classification accuracy is significantly different, being
much higher (91.1%) for the willing teachers
(cases) than of the unwilling teachers (43.8%).
The results of labeled tests of equality of
group means (table 8) show which factors
differ between purchasing green products, on a
univariate basis. Among the green consumption
variables, switching products for ecological
reasons, preference of ecological quality, plastic
carry bags should not be banned (scale reversed)
differ (p < 0.05) for the two groups. Thus these
variables differ significantly between the two
groups. We see that teachers who are willing to
buy have more favorable consideration of green
products.

To consider the variables from a multivariate

perspective (discriminant analysis), the pooled
within groups correlations between discriminating variables and the function shown in
the structure matrix (table 9) were used. The
loadings in the structure matrix are not interpreted unless they are 0.30 or higher (Hair,
Bush, and Ortinau 2006). Switching products
for ecological reasons, preference of ecological
quality, and plastic carry bags should not be
banned are the three green consumption variables that help us to predict registering group
membership.
The group statistics present the distribution
of observations into two groups. To further
interpret the discriminant function, the group
means in the group statistics are used. For all
three variables, switching products for ecological reasons, preference of ecological quality,
and plastic carry bags are more convenient
and should not be banned, the teachers who
are willing to buy green products had more
favorable consideration (mean values for this
group are all higher). Thus the environmental
issues are significantly more important for this
group. This finding can be valuable to the
companies that initiate green strategies.
The null hypothesis (H0) is not supported, and
there appeared a high degree of discrimination
between groups.

TABLE 6. Wilks Lambda

DISCUSSION
Test of
function(s)
1

Wilks
lambda

Chisquare

df

Sig.

0.786

35.482

22

0.034

The study found that environmental concern

is not significantly associated with willingness
to purchase green products. This contradicts

Rajyalakshmi Nittala

147

TABLE 7. Classification Results

Predicted group
membership

Original

Do you or another member of your family buy

green products if available?

Yes

No

Yes
No
Yes
No

102
27
91.1
56.3

10
21
8.9
43.8

Count
%

Total
112
48
100.0
100.0

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Note. 76.9% of original grouped cases correctly classified.

the earlier studies that concluded that the more

closely the consumers are involved with the
environment, the more likely they are to buy
green products (Alwitt and Berger 1993; Schuh-

werk and Lefkokk-Hagius 1995; Vlosky et al.

1999; Schwepker and Cornwell 1991; Rios et al.
2006). Astonishingly, the university teachers
high education and environmental concern are

TABLE 8. Tests of Equality of Group Means

Each consumers behavior can have an impact on the

environment.
I have switched products for ecological reasons.
To save energy, I drive my vehicle as little as possible.
I try to buy energy-efficient household appliances.
I try to buy products that can be recycled.
I am not sure which products and packing material are
recyclable.
I have doubts about the true impact of green products.
Whenever possible, I buy products packaged in reusable
containers.
Which quality you prefer while purchasing a product?
I use a shopping bag to avoid plastic carry bags.
I usually purchase the lowest-priced product, regardless of
its impact on society.
There must be separate shops to sell environmentally
friendly products.
Plastic carry bags are more convenient and should not be
banned.
Government must make eco-labeling mandatory.
I do not have the information to be personally involved in
green behavior.
Marketers must advertise the environmental aspects of their
products.
I trust the eco-friendly claims in the advertisements.
I purchase the green products if they are certified by
Environmental Organization.
Changing the consumer durables (ex. TV, refrigerator,
computers, etc.) frequently causes damage to the
environment.
Who is responsible to develop the environmental concern
among consumers?

Wilks
lambda

df 1

df 2

Sig.

0.995

0.800

158

0.373

0.968
0.999
0.998
0.999
0.981

5.29
0.208
0.350
0.172
3.058

1
1
1
1
1

158
158
158
158
158

0.023
0.649
0.555
0.679
0.082

0.980
0.999

3.275
0.082

1
1

158
158

0.072
0.775

0.958
0.989
0.997

6.884
1.831
0.540

1
1
1

158
158
158

0.010
0.178
0.464

0.998

0.324

158

0.570

0.968

5.216

158

0.024

0.994
0.995

0.976
0.758

1
1

158
158

0.325
0.385

0.999

0.171

158

0.680

0.985
0.988

2.360
1.892

1
1

158
158

0.126
0.171

0.992

1.223

158

0.270

0.991

1.434

158

0.233

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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER MARKETING

TABLE 9. Structure Matrix

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Variable

Function

Which quality you prefer while purchasing a product?

I have switched products for ecological reasons.
Plastic carry bags are more convenient and should not be banned.
I have doubts about the true impact of green products.
I am not sure which products and packing materials are recyclable.
I trust the eco-friendly claims in the advertisements.
I know that I should change to a green lifestyle, but Im too busy.
I purchase the green products if they are certified by Environmental Organization.
I use a shopping bag to avoid plastic carry bags.
Who is responsible to develop the environmental concern among consumers?
Changing the consumer durables (ex. TV, refrigerator, computers, etc.) frequently causes damage to the
environment.
Government must make eco-labeling mandatory.
Each consumers behavior can have an impact on the nvironment.
I do not have the information to be personally involved in green behavior.
I usually purchase the lowest-priced product, regardless of its impact on society.
I try to buy energy-efficient household appliances.
There must be separate shops to sell environmentally friendly products.
To save energy, I drive my vehicle as little as possible.
I try to buy products that can be recycled.
Marketers must advertise the environmental aspects of their products.
Whenever possible, I buy products packaged in reusable containers.

not reflected in their willingness to purchase

green products. This supports the studies that
found either no relationship (Kinnear et al. 1974)
or an inverse relationship between education and
environmental concern (Samdahl and Robertson
1989; Coradini et al. 2010; Mostafa 2007; Hume
1991).
Comfort of the teachers is found to have a
negative association, which indicates that the
teachers willingness to go for green purchase
is negatively influenced by their comfort as
the teachers feel that the plastic bags are more
convenient and should not be banned and they
purchase low-priced products regardless of their
impact on society. The result thus indicates
that with 65.2% influence, comfort is a more
important determinant of the university teachers willingness to purchase green products.
Consumption is expected to make life easier
and more comfortable, and it may act as an
impediment to green consumption, if it involves
sacrificing comfort. This finding is consistent
with several studies in which the consumers
were found to only exhibit lip service and
no practical willingness for eco-friendly con-

1
0.400
0.351
0.348
0.276
0.266
0.234
0.229
0.209
0.206
0.182
0.168
0.150
0.136
0.133
0.112
0.090
0.087
0.069
0.063
0.063
0.044

sumption (Follows and Jobber 2000; Sammer

and Wustenhagen 2006; Conraud-Koellner and
Rivas-Tovar 2009).
Lack of information (17.3%) negatively influences willingness to purchase green products.
The university teachers, despite their knowledge of the environmental issues, are skeptical
about the environmental claims of marketers.
They need information about green products
to evaluate and to commit to green purchase.
The marketers should give clear and factual
information about the greenness of their activities to promote green shopping. This finding supports the earlier studies (Ismail and
Panni 2008; Jain and Kaur 2006; Bloom 2008;
Pickett-Baker and Ozaki 2008; Shrum et al.
1995).
The strength of association of the variable
Recycle is positive, with 25.9% variance in
willingness to purchase green products. In addition to their education and status, domestic
conditions and the existence of legal and economic incentives also foment a slightly different
recycling response, as explained in the literature
(Diaz and Palacio 2006; Deloitte and GMA

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Rajyalakshmi Nittala

2009). The university teachers, despite their high

education and exalted status in society, have
expressed skepticism about the true impact of
green products and the reusability and recyclability of various products.
Unexpectedly, eco-labeling is not associated
with willingness to purchase green products, and
this contradicts the previous studies that emphasized the positive influence of eco-labeling on
consumer behavior (Rios et al. 2006; Bougherara
and Piguet 2009). Eco-labeling was introduced
in India, but it is neither preferred by companies
(Suneja 2010) nor promoted by the government.
Consequently teachers are not aware of it. There
are indeed some teachers whose main concerns
are for factors such as price, quality, brand, etc.,
of the product rather than the environment. There
are several quality labels that are issued and
promoted by the Indian government, such as
ISI, Agmark, BIS, etc., for different products.
Over the years, these labels have come to be
accepted by consumers due to quality assurance.
But in the case of green products, as there are no
economic gains involved, the government has
a big task. Making eco-labeling mandatory is
one measure in the hands of the government,
and realistic appealing to the saner senses of the
consumers on the benefits of green consumption
by the companies are twin steps that can make
green purchases more popular. Eco-labeling
encourages green behavior as the teachers can
perceive the green products, and it can be used by
marketers for product differentiation and to gain
competitive advantage. The 20 years of inaction
since the introduction of the eco-labeling scheme
by MoEF needs be rectified.
As the university teachers need environmental
information to initiate green purchases, it was
expected that green shops could satisfy this
need. Surprisingly, green shops do not show
any influence, as preference and availability of
green shops do not have significant association
with willingness to purchase green products.
Green marketers need not search for green shops
to sell their products; they can focus on other
promotional activities.
Teachers believe that frequent change of consumer durables causes environmental pollution.
To increase the sales of their products, marketers
should convince the teachers to exchange their

149

products for new ones and that the old products

can be recycled. The exchange benefit offered
should be above the differential threshold level
so that the teachers (consumers) can perceive
the benefit of exchange of their old product.
This reduces teachers guilt about causing environmental damage by changing the products
and provides the marketers demand for their
products.
There is a clear positive response to ban
plastic carry bags, and the teachers prefer to
use their own cloth or jute shopping bags.
Proenvironmental associations and media can
play an important role in discouraging usage of
plastic bags by teachers with little effort. They
have to use natural materials instead of plastics,
and the retailers should encourage customers
to bring their shopping bag by charging extra
for carry bags or by giving some discount
for using shopping bags. Recently the Indian
government has banned the use of plastic bags
by retailers, but the implementation has not been
effective.
Teachers are going in for energy-saving
practices so as to save on the energy bill, as
was also found in a previous study (Laroche
et al. 2001). Energy saving is an important
factor indirectly resulting in teachers green
behavior. But this behavior is due to the expected
savings, i.e., reduced power and water bills
rather than environmental concern. Marketing
strategy should incorporate savings information
that can result from the use of their products.
A third (34%) of the teachers purchase
low-priced products, regardless of their impact
on the environment, and it is interesting that
even for this elitist group the members of
which realize their responsibility toward the
environment, price constitutes the second major
buying criterion, right after quality. As price is a
barrier to green consumption, lowering the price
is bound to increase green consumer behavior.
Government should play its responsible role by
providing incentives and tax cuts to companies
that go in for green manufacturing and marketing, which will result in the prices becoming
competitive for acceptance by the consumers.
Switching products for ecological reasons,
preference of ecological quality, and plastic
carry bags are more convenient and should not

150

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER MARKETING

be banned are good discriminators that can be

used by marketers to identify the prospective
educated green segment.

targets. And this would be a win-win situation

for the company-consumer-environment trio.

REFERENCES

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CONCLUSIONS
The study results provide interesting and
potentially useful insights about green consumption behavior of the educated segment that
was not available in earlier studies. University
teachers understand the challenges currently
faced by the environment and are aware of the
existence of environmental activism. But their
concerns do not always translate into green
purchase behavior, and they entertain a feeling of
self-responsibility to alter their present behavior
to one of environmentally friendly green consumption behavior. In this transformation, they
need information on availability, reusability,
and impact of green products on the environment from marketers. The highest education
of the university teachers does not guarantee a
green purchase decision over quality and price.
The government, companies, consumers, and
the organizations working for the protection
of the environment should pool their efforts
to inculcate green consumer behavior among
consumers in general and the educated segment
in particular, as they can establish a trend that
may be followed by other sections of society.

Future Research
While it is believed that the present survey
has contributed to understanding the factors
contributing to green consumption by a highly
educated segment, the results so derived should
be interpreted with caution and viewed as a foundation for more thorough follow-up research.
Many studies need be conducted in various other
highly educated segments to unravel factors specific to those conditions that lead to willingness
to purchase green products. Comparative study
of green behavior of educated segments in different countries is warranted. In-depth studies of
environmental concern in each behavioral aspect
of different groups of consumers, i.e., searching,
purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing
may help companies assuredly realize their sales

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