Comparing green customer citizenship attitudes and behaviours in South Africa and South Korea

Orientation: Green consumption is a popular topic of conversation and research. Green initiatives are characterised by considerations, attitudes and behaviours. Research purpose: This article compares Korean and South African customers on five constructs plausibly associated with green customer citizenship attitudes or behaviours. Motivation for the study: Korean consumers are favourably orientated to green consumerism and serve as valuable benchmark for South African consumers. Research design, approach and method: Independent samples of 513 consumers in South Africa and 292 consumers in South Korea responded to an invitation-only, Internet-based questionnaire that focussed on attitudinal and behavioural issues of green purchasing and green consumption. Main findings: Statistically significant differences exist on all five scales. The secondary data favoured South Korea from a green perspective; however, for all five constructs subjected to empirical scrutiny, the results from South Africa produced a significantly higher mean than what was in evidence in the sample of South Korean residents. Practical/managerial implications: South African consumers tend to possess a stronger green disposition (attitude) while concurrently embracing and engaging in anti-consumption, advocacy, consumer coaching and customer helping (behaviours) – all in a green context – more so than do their South Korean peers. This implies that local consumers value green initiatives and that businesses could capitalise on the favourable green consumer trend. Contribution/value-add: The study compares South Africa’s green attitudes and behaviour internationally. Also, a country benchmark will be established as a reference mark in future studies to determine if South Africa is progressing on green consumerism. Keywords: green; customer citizenship; behaviour; attitudes; anti-consumption; South Korea; South Africa.