IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0323879.html

Exploring green purchasing intentions and behaviours among Vietnamese Generation Z: A perspective from the theory of planned behaviour

Author

Listed:
  • Quang-Huy Ngo
  • Thanh-Dung Nguyen
  • Nhu-Binh Phan

Abstract

As environmental degradation escalates, the critical need to understand green purchasing intentions and behaviours among Vietnamese Generation Z becomes increasingly urgent. Although the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been extensively applied to study pro-environmental behaviours, there remain discrepancies in how green attitudes, green subjective norms, and green perceived behavioural control influence green purchasing intentions and green purchasing behaviours. This study aims to clarify these relationships within the unique socio-economic and cultural context of Vietnamese Generation Z, a demographic influenced by collectivistic cultural values, generational characteristics, and dynamic economic conditions. These factors may reshape the conventional dynamics of TPB. Utilising quantitative methodologies, this research analysed responses from 237 Vietnamese Generation Z consumers through structural equation modelling to assess the impacts of green attitude, green subjective norms, and green perceived behavioural control on green purchasing intentions and green purchasing behaviours, particularly focusing on the mediating role of green purchasing intentions. The findings demonstrate that green attitude, green subjective norms, and green perceived behavioural control significantly affect both green purchasing intentions and green purchasing behaviours, thereby confirming the mediating influence of green purchasing intentions. This research reaffirms TPB’s relevance in Vietnam’s distinct cultural and economic environment while contributing to the broader TPB literature by exploring the mediating effects among key variables. These results also underscore the need for policymakers and businesses to create community-oriented environmental programs and tailor marketing strategies to enhance pro-environmental purchasing among young consumers.

Suggested Citation

  • Quang-Huy Ngo & Thanh-Dung Nguyen & Nhu-Binh Phan, 2025. "Exploring green purchasing intentions and behaviours among Vietnamese Generation Z: A perspective from the theory of planned behaviour," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(5), pages 1-25, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0323879
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323879
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0323879
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0323879&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0323879?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. Yuriy Gorodnichenko & Gérard Roland, 2012. "Understanding the Individualism-Collectivism Cleavage and Its Effects: Lessons from Cultural Psychology," International Economic Association Series, in: Masahiko Aoki & Timur Kuran & Gérard Roland (ed.), Institutions and Comparative Economic Development, chapter 11, pages 213-236, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Richard Perkins, 2003. "Environmental leapfrogging in developing countries: A critical assessment and reconstruction," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 27(3), pages 177-188, August.
    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. Muhammad Iskandar Hamzah & Nadia Hanin Nazlan & Muhammad Hafiz Abd Rashid & Aida Azlina Mansor, 2025. "Linking Climate Change and Green Consumerism among Young Shoppers," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(9), pages 7543-7553, September.

    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. Herrmann-Pillath, Carsten & Libman, Alexander & Yu, Xiaofan, 2014. "Economic integration in China: Politics and culture," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 470-492.
    2. Fredriksson, Per G. & Mohanty, Aatishya, 2021. "Sunlight and Culture," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 757-782.
    3. Lewis Davis & Claudia R. Williamson, 2018. "Open Borders for Business? Causes and Consequences of the Regulation of Foreign Entry," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 85(2), pages 508-536, October.
    4. Shishir Shakya & Nabamita Dutta, 2024. "How Individualism Influences Female Financial Inclusion through Education: Evidence from Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases," Working Papers 24-07, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    5. Davis, Lewis S. & Mavisakalyan, Astghik, 2024. "Individualism and the legal status of prostitution," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 714-732.
    6. Israel Eruchimovitch & Moti Michaeli & Assaf Sarid, 2024. "On the coevolution of individualism and institutions," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 391-432, September.
    7. Timothy M. Devinney & Jan Hohberger, 2017. "The past is prologue: Moving on from Culture’s Consequences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(1), pages 48-62, January.
    8. Nabamita Dutta & Russell S. Sobel & Adam Stivers & Thor Lienhard, 2025. "Opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship: do linguistic structures matter?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1981-2012, April.
    9. Binz, Christian & Truffer, Bernhard & Li, Li & Shi, Yajuan & Lu, Yonglong, 2012. "Conceptualizing leapfrogging with spatially coupled innovation systems: The case of onsite wastewater treatment in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 155-171.
    10. Jung, Yeonha, 2025. "Slavery and collectivism in the postbellum American South," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 534-558.
    11. Ali Arababadi & Stephan Leyer & Joachim Hansen & Reza Arababadi, 2021. "Characterizing the Theory of Spreading Electric Vehicles in Luxembourg," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-24, August.
    12. Jayasekara, Dinithi N., 2021. "Can traditional farming practices explain attitudes towards scientific progress?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 320-339.
    13. Elodie Douarin, 2021. "Institutional Change in Transition: An Evolving Research Agenda," Springer Books, in: Elodie Douarin & Oleh Havrylyshyn (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Comparative Economics, edition 1, chapter 17, pages 429-457, Springer.
    14. Teemu Rantanen & Agnieszka Pawlak & Timo Toikko, 2015. "The Significance of Social Welfare Attitudes in Young People’s Entrepreneurial Intentions," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 3(1), pages 43-60.
    15. Claudia R. Williamson, 2021. "Culture, democracy and regulation," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 98-126, March.
    16. Wojciech Ewider, 2021. "Development of modern payment methods in Poland as an example of technological leapfrogging," Zeszyty Naukowe Małopolskiej Wyższej Szkoły Ekonomicznej w Tarnowie / The Malopolska School of Economics in Tarnow Research Papers Collection, Malopolska School of Economics in Tarnow, vol. 50(2), pages 79-91, June.
    17. Mohanty, Aatishya & Sharma, Swati, 2022. "COVID-19 regulations, culture, and the environment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    18. Ang, James B. & Fredriksson, Per G., 2018. "Culture, legal heritage and the regulation of labor," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 616-633.
    19. Davis, Lewis S. & Williamson, Claudia R., 2019. "Does individualism promote gender equality?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-1.
    20. Meina Cai & Ilia Murtazashvili & Jennifer Murtazashvili & Raufhon Salahodjaev, 2020. "Individualism and governance of the commons," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 184(1), pages 175-195, July.

    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:plo:pone00:0323879. 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: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    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.