A Magical Mystery Tour Exploring Sustainable Consumption Behaviour amongst British and Chinese Consumers

In this paper we undertake a magical mystery tour to explore sustainable consumption behaviours in two culturally distinct nations - UK and China, using the constructs of materialism, social consumption motivation,... [ view full abstract ]

In this paper we undertake a magical mystery tour to explore sustainable consumption behaviours in two culturally distinct nations - UK and China, using the constructs of materialism, social consumption motivation, environmental concern and pro-environmental self-identity. We report our findings from an online panel survey with a representative sample from the British (n=1037) and Chinese (n=1025) adult populations. Our findings reveal cultural differences and similarities across our magical constructs, with pro-environmental self-identity emerging as a strongly magical mediator in both cultures. Thus, in the future, spells for behavioural change should consider ‘identity campaigning’ to promote sustainable consumption behaviour. This study makes a significant contribution to knowledge by investigating the antecedents of sustainable consumption behaviours in a Western-Eastern cross-cultural setting, comparing two distinct nations – the UK and China, employing national representative samples. The findings reveal cultural differences and similarities across the antecedents of materialism, environmental concern and social consumption motivation and highlight the mediating role of pro-environmental self-identity in explaining sustainable consumption behaviours.