How Downward Comparisons Impact Pro‐Environmental Consumption: Mediating Roles of Self‐Evaluations and Self‐Awareness

Previous studies show that people often feel more capable of prosocial behaviours after downward comparisons. However, there is limited research on how downward comparisons affect pro-environmental consumption. We conducted two online experiments to investigate the impact of downward comparisons on pro-environmental consumption under temporal (Study 1) and social (Study 2) comparisons in China. The results show that downward temporal comparison positively affected preferences for pro-environmental products. Downward social comparison increased both preferences and the willingness to pay for pro-environmental products. In terms of the mechanism, the temporal comparison effect was accounted for by self-evaluations and private self-awareness. Meanwhile, self-evaluations and both private and public self-awareness accounted for the social comparison effect. These findings underscore the importance of downward temporal and social comparisons on pro-environmental consumption within the cultural context of China. Our study establishes links between downward comparisons and pro-environmental consumption within the framework of the internal/external model and self-image/product-image congruity theory. The findings also have significant implications for designing tailored strategies aimed at incentivising pro-environmental consumption.