The Attitude–Behavior Gap in Green Travel Behavior: A Comprehensive Perspective Based on Color-Coded Behavior and the Moderating Influence of Motivation

It is conceptually and empirically agreed that a positive attitude toward green travel does not necessarily turn into green travel behavior. This is referred as the “attitude–behavior gap.” This study proposes a five-step analysis method to provide a deeper insight into the attitude–behavior gap in the context of green travel, namely to identify and explain the (in)consistency between attitude and green travel behavior by integrating two distinctive yet interrelated approaches. By virtue of the color-coded behavioral perspective, the attitude–behavior gap in green travel is explicitly confirmed, with four types of attitude–behavior interactions being characterized. The moderating role of motivations is then examined and confirmed by exploring the attitude–behavior relationships across groups with differing motivational patterns in relation to travel. It is found that when people are particularly concerned about the benefits provided by transport modes, both negative attitudes toward cars and favorable attitudes toward various transport modes because of their environmental/social benefits would significantly influence their green travel behavior, with effective green travel attitude–behavior consistency achieved. The current results are expected to provide some insights for administrators and operators hoping to promote green transport modes in urban areas.