Sustainable Consumption and the Theory of Planned Behavior: The Context of Public Bike-Sharing in China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijsbe.603Keywords:
Perceived Green Value, Collaborative Consumption, Biospheric, Altruism, Bike-SharingAbstract
The concept of public bike-sharing in China has been on the rise since 2015. However, the concept‘s acceptance, adoption and implementation remain limited. This is as a result of some underlying issues such as trust and technological infrastructural requirements. This study evaluated the sustainability of bike transportation through an assessment of two perceived green value (PGV) dimensions; collaborative consumption (CCV) and symbolic value (SV). The study was guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and value-belief-norm (VBN) theory. The specific objectives were to establish the effect of CCV and SV on TPB’s constructs; attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC), and to establish the mediating role of biospheric attributes on the relationship between CCV, SV and ATT. The altruism effect on intention to engage in bike sharing was also established. The research adopted a cross-sectional survey design. An online platform was used in data collection targeting Chinese respondents. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The key findings from a survey of 452 respondents indicated positive relationship between CCV, SV and three TPB factors apart from a slight discordant between CCV and PBC. Further, ATT, SN and PBC had positive effects on intention to consume green services. The study adds to green marketing and consumer behavior literature and provides relevant results to service providers and policy makers. The scholars acknowledge the study‘s limitations and offer research directions for future studies.
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