Toward clean cooking: Predicting consumers' intentions to purchase improved cookstoves in Sub-Saharan countries

Abstract

Improved cookstoves (ICSs) often represent consumers' first step toward transitioning to clean cooking technologies, especially in countries with limited access to clean cookstoves and fuels. Research on the drivers of ICS adoption in African countries is still scarce and often relies on secondary data due to difficulties in collecting primary data from consumers. Conversely, this study examines the drivers of consumers' intentions to purchase ICSs by collecting primary data from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), two of the world's poorest nations, according to World Bank statistics. Specifically, it integrates the theory of planned behavior and the technology acceptance model, using partial least squares structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis to predict purchase intentions and explore country-specific differences. Our findings show that perceived behavioral control increases purchase intention in both countries. However, significant differences emerge in the effects of attitude and subjective norms on purchase intentions. Specifically, attitude increases purchase intentions only among DRC consumers, while social norms drive purchase intentions only among Burundi consumers. This study highlights the importance of strengthening consumers' confidence in using cleaner cooking solutions to enhance their purchase intentions and thus align with the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. In addition, the different roles of attitude and subjective norms in the two countries show that the drivers of consumer behavior regarding ICSs are not uniform. This result emphasizes the need for context-specific interventions and primary research that amplifies the voices of often-overlooked consumers at the base of the pyramid.