The Attitude–Behavior Relationship in Consumer Conduct: The Role of Norms, Past Behavior, and Self-Identity

TLDR

The study employed a revised TPB model, surveying 112 consumers on attitudes, perceived control, descriptive and injunctive norms, self‑identity, past behavior, and intentions at baseline and measuring self‑reported soft‑drink purchases one week later. Positive associations were found between attitudes, both descriptive and injunctive norms, past behavior, self‑identity, and purchase intentions, and intentions predicted actual soft‑drink purchases one week later, underscoring the TPB’s usefulness in consumer research.

Abstract

The authors used a revised planned behavior model in the consumer domain. The revised model incorporated separate measures of descriptive and injunctive/ prescriptive norms, self-identity, and past behavior in an effort to improve the predictive power of the theory of planned behavior (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985) in relation to a self-reported consumer behavior: purchasing one's preferred soft drink. At Time 1, respondents (N = 112) completed self-report measures of (a) attitudes, (b) perceived behavioral control, (c) descriptive and injunctive/prescriptive norms, (d) self-identity, (e) past behavior, and (f) intentions. The authors assessed self-reported behavior 1 week later (Time 2). Attitudes, injunctive/prescriptive norms, descriptive norms, past behavior, and self-identity were all positively related to purchase intentions, and intentions were predictive of self-reported behavior at Time 2. These findings highlight the utility of the TPB in the consumer domain.