How Corporate Social Responsibility Influences Loyalty and Willingness to Pay Through Trust and Attitudes Among Young Consumers

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an increasingly important factor in shaping consumer responses, particularly among younger generations who are often portrayed as ethically sensitive yet behaviorally ambivalent. While prior research has established that CSR is associated with favorable consumer outcomes, the mechanisms through which CSR perceptions translate into loyalty and economic value remain insufficiently understood. Addressing this gap, the present study adopts a mediation perspective to examine how perceived CSR influences consumer loyalty and willingness to pay through the sequential roles of trust and attitudes among young consumers. Using survey data collected from 307 young consumers in Portugal, the study tests a conceptual framework in which CSR perceptions influence trust and attitudes, which in turn shape loyalty and willingness to pay. Data were analyzed using reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, regression-based mediation analysis, and bootstrapping procedures. The results provide strong support for the proposed mediation framework, revealing that CSR does not exert direct effects on loyalty or willingness to pay. Instead, its relationship with these outcomes is indirectly transmitted through trust, attitudes, and loyalty. Specifically, trust and attitudes sequentially mediate the relationship between CSR and loyalty, while the relationship between CSR and willingness to pay operates indirectly through loyalty. These findings contribute to the CSR and consumer behavior literature by clarifying the mechanisms through which CSR creates value for firms and by advancing a process-oriented understanding of CSR-driven consumer behavior. From a managerial perspective, the results highlight the importance of designing and communicating CSR initiatives that foster trust and positive attitudes, thereby strengthening long-term consumer relationships and enhancing willingness to pay among young consumers.