Predicting consumer pro-environmental behavioral intention: The moderating role of religiosity

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the role of religiosity in consumer pro-environmental behavioral intention (CPEBI). Consumer pro-environmental value, knowledge, concern and attitude predict CPEBI; however, previous findings are neither consistent about their predictabilities nor clear about the order of importance of these predictors. Further, while religiosity has the potential to affect values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, its role in CPEBI research has been neglected. Design/methodology/approach: Data are collected from a sample of 306 respondents from Oman, an Islamic country with mostly Muslim consumers, and analyzed using a neural network model. Findings: This study finds that the most important predictors of CPEBI, in order of importance, are attitude, concern, knowledge, religiosity and value. Further, results indicate that religiosity moderates the impacts of, in order of importance, attitude, value, concern and knowledge on CPEBI. Research limitations/implications: Both businesses and policy makers can prioritize intervention strategies according to the importance of the predictors and can leverage faith-based messages and programs for promoting CPEBI toward creating a better environment for all. Originality/value: Determining the predictabilities of psychological factors and their interactions with religiosity to predict CPEBI in Islamic countries is necessary for promoting environmentally friendly products in Islamic countries and for reducing the ecological damage to the environment.