To be or not to be green: Exploring individualism and collectivism as antecedents of environmental behavior

Abstract

Sustainability and environmental initiatives continue to receive an increasing amount of attention, both within the corporate, consumer, and individual domains of behavior. As individuals act on their environmental interests, or lack thereof, it is incumbent upon researchers to continue delineating factors that may influence the commitment and behaviors that take place. To this end, this research effort capitalizes on the long history of cultural orientation, examining the influence of individualism and collectivism as antecedents to perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), environmental attitude, and environmental commitment. Utilizing cross-cultural data drawn from South Korea and the United States, the empirical results provide support for horizontal collectivism and vertical individualism as important influencers of perceived consumer effectiveness. In turn, PCE positively affects environmental attitude which results in pro-environmental commitment manifested in specific behavioral intentions. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.