Determining African Generation Y Students’ Likelihood of Engaging in Pro-environmental Purchasing Behaviour

Abstract

The continuous growth of the world’s population has emphasised the need for pro-environmental behaviour. As the condition of the environment continues to deteriorate, concerns to preserve the environment have begun to increase dramatically. While much research has been conducted on the environmentally-conscious consumer, the results pertaining to pro-environmental purchase behaviour are mixed. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour model has been an incremental tool in the description of past behaviour patterns in previous studies and recently has been utilised in various environmental behaviour studies around the world. The prediction of pro-environmental behaviour remains an essential tool in the fight towards sustainability, and also offers organisations a possible means of creating a competitive advantage in the process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify any relationships between the variates formed by African Generation Y students’ perception and assessment of their beliefs concerning pro-environmental behaviour and their likelihood to engage in pro-environmental purchase behaviour in the South African context. The study followed a cross-sectional descriptive research design that utilised a sample questionnaire to gather data from a convenience sample of 500 students registered at the campuses of four South African higher education institutions in the Gauteng province. The data was analysed using principle component analysis and canonical correlation. This study found that environmental attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control have a positive direct relationship with African Generation Y students’ likelihood of engaging in pro-environmental purchasing behaviour.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n21p101