Trying to buy more sustainable products: Intentions of young consumers

Young adults play a pivotal role in environmental preservation and the future of the planet, but little is known about the predictors of their attitudes and intentions to purchase more sustainable products. Building on the theory of trying (TT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study addresses the research gap and examines how young consumers seek to conserve the environment by purchasing more sustainable products. The present study tests the conceptual model using multi-group structural equation modeling on samples of young adults from Western, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe with different levels of economic development, sustainable policies, and consumer attitudes toward sustainability. The results show that the predictors proposed by the TT explain the attitudes and intentions to buy eco-labeled products better than the predictors from the TPB and that past behavior plays an important role in this process. This study has both theoretical and practical implications for various stakeholders, including managers, policy makers, consumers, and stakeholder representatives.