Factors and mechanisms affecting green consumption in China: A multilevel analysis

Consumption levels and environmental deterioration have increased dramatically in recent years. However, green consumption is a form of consumption that allows people to participate in environmental protection. Previous research has focused on single influences at the individual level and ignored the impacts of nested individual behaviors on the social environment. Using individual microdata and interprovincial macro data, this study develops a multilevel structural equation model (MSEM) that encompasses individual and provincial levels to explore the factors and mechanisms that motivate green consumption and examines the entire consumption process—choosing, using, and disposing. The results show that, at the individual level, population factors and the external environment have a greater impact on green consumer behavior. For psychological factors, environmental attitudes and environmental awareness promote green consumption. Environmental issues affect green consumption indirectly by affecting environmental knowledge in the external environment. In the external environment, environmental pressure and environmental knowledge have a positive impact on green consumption behavior. Media preferences influence green consumption through environmental perception. Among demographic factors, education affects green consumption through environmental perception; age and urban or rural household registration also affect green consumption behavior. At the level of environmental pollution, environmental tendencies positively influence green consumption. Of these, urbanization has the strongest impact on green consumption. Consumption levels and the rates of greening and Internet penetration have no significant impact on green consumption.