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Impacts of Zhongyong Values on Green Consumption Behavior of Chinese Consumers

중국 소비자의 중용 가치관이 친환경 소비행동에 미치는 영향

  • Yi Li (International Business Cooperative Program(Graduate School), Dongguk University Gyeongju) ;
  • You-Kyung Lee (Department of Business Administration, Dongguk University Gyeongju)
  • 리이 (동국대학교 국제비즈니스협동과정) ;
  • 이유경 (동국학교 상경대학 경영학부)
  • Received : 2021.12.10
  • Accepted : 2021.12.28
  • Published : 2021.12.30

Abstract

China has achieved remarkable economic growth through an extended period of rapid industrialization. However, adverse environmental issues have become more prevalent during this time of development. In particular, car exhaust emissions in the country have become one of the most substantial causes of environmental degradation in China. To combat these issues, the Chinese government is actively implementing green car policies to mitigate the negative environmental concerns. Likewise, Chinese consumers' interest in green cars has also increasing. Despite these changes in consumer perceptions, research on Chinese consumers' green consumption behavior is still in its infancy. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to measure the relationship between zhongyong(中庸) values, new ecological paradigm(NEP), and green consumption behavior for 334 Chinese consumers. As a result, the study found that the three sub-dimensions of zhongyong(中庸) values(multi-dimensionality, flexibility and compatibility) and NEP had a significantly positive(+) effect on the purchase intention of green cars. It was also found that NEP positively mediates the effect of flexibility and harmony on purchase intention of green cars. This study is expected to provide academic outcomes on China, which is currently the world's fastest growing green car market, as well as providing practical strategic implications for establishing unique green marketing strategy for China.

Keywords

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