IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i7p8020-8033.html

Beyond Climate Change Concern: Why Air Pollution Health Concern and Health Orientation Matter in Battery Electric Vehicle Adoption

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Hartmann
  • Vanessa Apaolaza
  • Ainhize Eletxigerra
  • Jose M. Barrutia
  • Carmen Echebarria

Abstract

While previous research has emphasized climate change concern as a driver of battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption, concerns about the personal health impacts of air pollution caused by internal combustion vehicles—such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases—have been neglected as behavioral triggers. Our findings from a representative US survey (N = 800) show that, besides climate change concern, health concern about air pollution significantly influences BEV adoption intention. Furthermore, health orientation moderates this relationship, with highly health‐oriented individuals showing a stronger positive effect of air pollution health concern on BEV adoption. For highly health‐oriented individuals, air pollution health concern has a stronger influence than climate change concern. These findings highlight the importance of emphasizing personal health benefits alongside environmental benefits in marketing and policy strategies. Further findings of the study show that adoption barriers, such as high costs and infrastructure limitations, remain significant deterrents to the switch to electric mobility. Increasing awareness of the noxious health impacts of pollution caused by internal combustion engines and promoting health awareness, together with overcoming the known adoption barriers, can accelerate the transition to sustainable electric mobility, contributing to climate change mitigation while enhancing public health outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Hartmann & Vanessa Apaolaza & Ainhize Eletxigerra & Jose M. Barrutia & Carmen Echebarria, 2025. "Beyond Climate Change Concern: Why Air Pollution Health Concern and Health Orientation Matter in Battery Electric Vehicle Adoption," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(7), pages 8020-8033, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:7:p:8020-8033
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70003
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Egbue, Ona & Long, Suzanna, 2012. "Barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles: An analysis of consumer attitudes and perceptions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 717-729.
    2. Verma, Vivek Kumar & Chandra, Bibhas & Kumar, Sumit, 2019. "Values and ascribed responsibility to predict consumers' attitude and concern towards green hotel visit intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 206-216.
    3. Nian, Victor & Hari, M.P. & Yuan, Jun, 2019. "A new business model for encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles in the absence of policy support," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1106-1117.
    4. Kahn, Matthew E., 2007. "Do greens drive Hummers or hybrids? Environmental ideology as a determinant of consumer choice," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 129-145, September.
    5. Austmann, Leonhard M. & Vigne, Samuel A., 2021. "Does environmental awareness fuel the electric vehicle market? A Twitter keyword analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    6. Zanoli, Raffaele & Naspetti, Simona, 2002. "Consumer motivations in the purchase of organic food. A means-end approach," MPRA Paper 32712, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Yadav, Rambalak, 2016. "Altruistic or egoistic: Which value promotes organic food consumption among young consumers? A study in the context of a developing nation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 92-97.
    8. Weiwei Ping & Wenjun Cao & Hongzhuan Tan & Chongzheng Guo & Zhiyong Dou & Jianzhou Yang, 2018. "Health protective behavior scale: Development and psychometric evaluation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, January.
    9. Shanyong Wang & Jin Fan & Dingtao Zhao & Shu Yang & Yuanguang Fu, 2016. "Predicting consumers’ intention to adopt hybrid electric vehicles: using an extended version of the theory of planned behavior model," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 123-143, January.
    10. Anil Khurana & V. V. Ravi Kumar & Manish Sidhpuria, 2020. "A Study on the Adoption of Electric Vehicles in India: The Mediating Role of Attitude," Vision, , vol. 24(1), pages 23-34, March.
    11. Taciano L. Milfont, 2012. "The Interplay Between Knowledge, Perceived Efficacy, and Concern About Global Warming and Climate Change: A One‐Year Longitudinal Study," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(6), pages 1003-1020, June.
    12. Yujin Beak & Kayoung Kim & Kyuho Maeng & Youngsang Cho, 2020. "Is the environment‐friendly factor attractive to customers when purchasing electric vehicles? Evidence from South Korea," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 996-1006, March.
    13. She, Zhen-Yu & Qing Sun, & Ma, Jia-Jun & Xie, Bai-Chen, 2017. "What are the barriers to widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles? A survey of public perception in Tianjin, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 29-40.
    14. Prakash, Gyan & Choudhary, Sangita & Kumar, Anil & Garza-Reyes, Jose Arturo & Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman & Panda, Tapan Kumar, 2019. "Do altruistic and egoistic values influence consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions towards eco-friendly packaged products? An empirical investigation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 163-169.
    15. Noel, Lance & Papu Carrone, Andrea & Jensen, Anders Fjendbo & Zarazua de Rubens, Gerardo & Kester, Johannes & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2019. "Willingness to pay for electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid applications: A Nordic choice experiment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 525-534.
    16. Shanyong Wang & Jin Fan & Dingtao Zhao & Shu Yang & Yuanguang Fu, 2016. "Predicting consumers’ intention to adopt hybrid electric vehicles: using an extended version of the theory of planned behavior model," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 123-143, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Phool Hussain & Saud Ahmad & Jindřich Soukup, 2026. "From mines to markets: how value-added critical minerals and green innovation stabilize energy security amid regulatory quality in resource-rich countries," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 39(1), pages 295-310, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Furqan A. Bhat & Ashish Verma, 2025. "Consumer intention to accept electric two-wheelers in India: a valence theory approach to unveil the role of identity and utility," Transportation, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 537-577, April.
    2. Wang, Shanyong & Li, Jun & Zhao, Dingtao, 2017. "The impact of policy measures on consumer intention to adopt electric vehicles: Evidence from China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 14-26.
    3. Taneja, Shilpa & Ali, Liaqat, 2021. "Determinants of customers’ intentions towards environmentally sustainable banking: Testing the structural model," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    4. Jiang, Yuting & Fu, Qian & Thomopoulos, Nikolas & Chen, Jason Li, 2025. "Understanding the influence of past driving experience on electric vehicle purchase intention in China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 270-282.
    5. Kumar Shalender & Naman Sharma, 2021. "Using extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict adoption intention of electric vehicles in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 665-681, January.
    6. Imaduddin, & Butar, Ivan & Purwanto, Rizka & Putranto, Aditya & Afrianto, Whisnu Febry, 2025. "Trust and the intent to use on-demand charging services of electric vehicles in Indonesia: The moderating effect of perceived charging risk and environmental concern," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    7. Cruz-Jesus, Frederico & Figueira-Alves, Hugo & Tam, Carlos & Pinto, Diego Costa & Oliveira, Tiago & Venkatesh, Viswanath, 2023. "Pragmatic and idealistic reasons: What drives electric vehicle drivers' satisfaction and continuance intention?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    8. Jaiswal, Deepak & Kaushal, Vikrant & Kant, Rishi & Kumar Singh, Pankaj, 2021. "Consumer adoption intention for electric vehicles: Insights and evidence from Indian sustainable transportation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. Nketiah, Emmanuel & Song, Huaming & Gu, Tao & Adjei, Mavis & Adu-Gyamfi, Gibbson & Obuobi, Bright, 2024. "How willing are residents to accept sustainable energy from food waste generated by anaerobic digestion projects?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    10. Kumar, Vikas & Kaushik, Arun Kumar & Noravesh, Farima & Sindhwani, Rahul & Mathiyazhagan, K., 2025. "Green drives: Understanding how environmental propensity, range and technological anxiety shape electric vehicle adoption intentions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    11. Jingnan Zhang & Shichun Xu & Zhengxia He & Chengze Li & Xiaona Meng, 2022. "Factors Influencing Adoption Intention for Electric Vehicles under a Subsidy Deduction: From Different City-Level Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-24, May.
    12. Wu, Zezhou & He, Qiufeng & Li, Jiarun & Bi, Guoqiang & Antwi-Afari, Maxwell Fordjour, 2023. "Public attitudes and sentiments towards new energy vehicles in China: A text mining approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    13. Tianpei Tang & Xiwei Wang & Jianbing Wu & Meining Yuan & Yuntao Guo & Xunqian Xu, 2022. "Determinants and the Moderating Effects of Individual Characteristics on Autonomous Vehicle Adoption in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Sudarsan Jayasingh & T. Girija & Sivakumar Arunkumar, 2021. "Factors Influencing Consumers’ Purchase Intention towards Electric Two-Wheelers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-20, November.
    15. Kim, Moon-Koo & Oh, Jeesun & Park, Jong-Hyun & Joo, Changlim, 2018. "Perceived value and adoption intention for electric vehicles in Korea: Moderating effects of environmental traits and government supports," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 799-809.
    16. Sohaib Mustafa & Yangyan Shi & Dur e Adan & Wen Luo & Eias Al Humdan, 2026. "Role of environmental awareness & self-identification expressiveness in electric-vehicle adoption," Transportation, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 861-885, April.
    17. Andriosopoulos, Kostas & Bigerna, Simona & Bollino, Carlo Andrea & Micheli, Silvia, 2018. "The impact of age on Italian consumers' attitude toward alternative fuel vehicles," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 299-308.
    18. María García de Blanes Sebastián & José Ramón Sarmiento Guede & Alberto Azuara Grande & David Juárez-Varón, 2024. "Analysis of factors influencing attitude and intention to use electric vehicles for a sustainable future," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 1347-1368, August.
    19. Hannah Budnitz & Toon Meelen & Tim Schwanen, 2026. "Electric vehicle adoption intentions among UK residents parking in shared and public spaces," Transportation, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 937-960, April.
    20. Jain, Monika & Singh, Archana, 2024. "An empirical study on electric vehicle adoption in India: A step towards a greener environment," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 112-125.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:7:p:8020-8033. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.