How Did the Covid‐19 Pandemic Change Consumer Behavior Regarding Sustainable Consumption? An Environmental Responsibility Perspective Across Cultures and Generations

ABSTRACT The Covid‐19 pandemic made it essential to comprehensively understand how the crisis has altered consumer behavior and environmental responsibility across cultures and generations. To address this gap, we examine the role of environmental responsibility as a bridge between consumer awareness and sustainable practices, highlighting how the pandemic has catalyzed shifts in consumer attitudes across diverse cultural and generational contexts. We analyze 1773 questionnaires from seven countries using hierarchical regression and ANOVA. The results show that environmental responsibility (EV) mediates the relationship between changes in consumer awareness (CHA) and sustainable consumption behavior (SCB). Surprisingly, consumers in countries with traditionally lower environmental concerns, such as Hungary and Slovakia, exhibited a more substantial shift in SCB during the pandemic than some Western European counterparts. Generational cohorts also moderate key paths in the model. Using Hofstede's cultural dimensions, we show that power distance (positive), individualism (negative), and indulgence (negative) moderate the awareness‐to‐behavior link, while the awareness‐to‐responsibility step is culture‐invariant. Our investigation into the effects of cultural and generational factors on sustainable behavior enriches the field of environmental psychology, emphasizing the complexity of fostering sustainability in the face of global challenges.