Antecedents of young consumers’ behavioral intention toward plastic waste minimization in Vietnam

Abstract

Rapid economic growth, urbanization, and shifting lifestyles have triggered a global plastic pollution crisis, threatening the environment. Understanding consumer behavior is crucial for implementing a circular economy (CE) for plastics aimed at minimizing waste, as psychological factors can hinder technical solutions. This paper aims to pinpoint the determinants influencing young consumer intentions in plastic waste minimization (PWM). An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Structural Equation Modeling were applied to explore antecedents of behavioral intention of 677 young consumers in Vietnam regarding PWM. The study reveals that attitude is the most significant positive factor influencing consumers' behavioral intention to lower plastic consumption, followed by perceived behavioral control and the effect of charges on plastic utensils. In contrast to the other TPB constructs, the subjective norm, which fails to meet the criteria for passing the hypothesis test, is determined to be an insignificant predictor of consumers' intention toward PWM. Furthermore, the study also confirms the significant correlations between consumer characteristics (gender, field of study, levels of education program, and the status of pedagogical training) and the attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, effect of charges on plastic utensils, and behavioral intention. This study thereby enriches the existing literature on PWM, offering insights that can assist governments and organizations in comprehending consumer intentions, contributing to the success of CE projects.