Social pathways vs. personal attitudes: Modeling sustainable consumption in an emerging collectivist economy

Sustainable consumption research is largely dominated by Western-centric models that emphasize individual attitudes. However, a critical gap remains in understanding how these models apply to emerging collectivist economies where social norms often override individual preferences. This study bridges this gap by exploring reusable shopping bag consumption among Vietnamese youth, a key demographic in a rapidly developing, collectivist society. Integrating Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) and Consumer Socialization (TCS) theories, we surveyed 343 young consumers in Hanoi, analyzing the data with structural equation modeling (SEM). Results reveal a sharp divergence between attitudinal and behavioral pathways. While internal factors (biospheric values, objective knowledge) positively shape attitudes, actual consumption behavior is not driven by attitudes. Instead, it is directly and strongly predicted by external social factors (namely, peer and family communication). Furthermore, willingness to pay (WTP) is a significant negative moderator of the attitude-behavior link, suggesting WTP may reflect status-seeking motives that decouple behavior from personal environmental values. Our findings contribute a culturally specific model where social pathways override individual attitudes, offering critical implications for policymakers and marketers to shift from awareness campaigns toward leveraging peer networks to drive tangible change. • Integrates VBN and TCS theories to model reusable bag adoption in Vietnam. • Demonstrates biospheric values and objective knowledge shape attitudes, not behavior. • Confirms peer and family communication directly drive consumption behavior. • Uncovers willingness to pay as a negative moderator, reflecting status-driven motives. • Proposes novel framework prioritizing social pathways, advancing cross-cultural sustainable consumption research.