Influence of sustainability information on consumers' cognitive dissonance and avoidance coping mechanisms associated with the purchase of sustainable products

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between sustainability information and consumers' avoidance coping behaviors originating from cognitive dissonance in the realm of sustainable consumption. Moreover, the study considers the individual characteristics of consumers’ moral identity and how it influences the consumers' cognitive dissonance and avoidance-based coping when purchasing sustainable products. A multi-method quantitative research design is adopted for data collection. To deal with the self-reported biases, the study adopts eye-tracking technology to gather fixation data on sustainable product etiquette and utilizes regression analysis to define the association between variables. The findings of the study suggest that there is no statistically significant association between sustainability information and cognitive dissonance. However, the results suggest that there is a low negative association between consumers’ cognitive dissonance and avoidance-coping. Furthermore, the study provides evidence that individual characteristics play an important role in establishing the relationship between consumers’ cognitive dissonance and avoidance-coping. Lastly, a low positive relationship was found between consumers' avoidance-coping and sustainable consumption.

One of the limitations associated with the current study is the small sample size, thereby acting as a barrier to the generalizability and consistency of research with the prior studies. Nevertheless, the study still provides some key insights combined with prior literature for marketing managers, policymakers, and researchers when studying and addressing consumers’ conflicting reactions toward sustainable consumption.