Sustainable Consumption in the East: Cross-Cultural Variation of Antecedents of Green Purchase Intention Based on Religiosity, Spirituality and Values

Abstract

Although prior research has explored the relationship between religiosity and sustainable consumption in East versus West cross-cultural contexts, it has presented mixed findings. To gain a clearer and deeper understanding of the relationship between religiosity, spirituality and sustainable consumption such as green purchase intention, we conducted three studies in three diverse eastern cultures, namely India, Japan and Bangladesh, with different breakdowns of religious affiliations. With a focus on educated urban adults in three eastern nations, we extended the theory of planned behaviour by exploring the differential relationships of spirituality, religiosity, green self-identity (GSI) and individual-level cultural values on consumers' green purchase intention. We further explored the religiosity and GSI relationship and tested the mediation effect of Schwartz's personal values in Bangladesh and India. Spirituality generally positively influences green purchase intention across cultures, while religiosity's impact varies significantly, being negative in India, positive in Bangladesh and insignificant in Japan. The religiosity–sustainability pathway is also different for Bangladesh and Japan. The study explains the need for marketers to consider consumers' religiosity and spirituality as well as their cultural values and personal values in tailoring value propositions and positioning green products and communication programmes.