Influencing Factors of Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intention to Sustainable Apparel Products: Exploring Consumer “Attitude–Behavioral Intention” Gap

TLDR

Rapid economic growth and over‑consumption in China have degraded the environment, prompting a shift toward sustainable consumption, yet positive attitudes toward sustainability do not translate into matching behavioral intentions. The study seeks to identify the psychological drivers and barriers—consumption values, social norms, and attitudes—that shape Chinese consumers’ behavioral intentions toward sustainable apparel products. An online survey was used to test how consumption values and social norms moderate the link between attitudes and purchase intentions for sustainable apparel. Moderated regression revealed that attitudes strongly predict purchase intention, aesthetic values enhance while conspicuous values weaken this relationship, and utility values and social norms have no significant effect, confirming the attitude–behavior gap model and guiding sustainable marketing strategies.

Abstract

As the rapid economic growth and over-consumption within the largest population worldwide has resulted in harmful environment deterioration, a shift to more sustainable consumption behaviors is required in China. Although public interests in sustainability have increased and consumers’ attitudes are positive, their behavioral intentions are not consistent with attitudes. This study aims to uncover psychological drivers and barriers (consumption values, social norms, and attitudes to sustainable apparel products) of Chinese consumers’ behavioral intentions toward sustainable apparel products (SAP) by exploring the attitude–behavioral intention gap. Online survey data were used to examine the moderating impacts of consumption values and social norms on relationship between Chinese consumers’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward SAP. Results from moderating regression analysis suggest that (1) Chinese consumers’ SAP attitudes had a strong positive effect on the purchase intention toward SAP, (2) aesthetic values positively moderated the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention, whereas conspicuous values negatively moderated the relationship, and (3) utility values and social norms did not show any significant moderating influences on the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention. Our study validates the attitude–behavior gap model in sustainable consumer behavior and discusses how the current findings can assist researchers and practitioners in the Clothing and Textiles field alike to fine-tune sustainable programs and marketing strategies in China.