From worry to action: the role of climate change worry and TPB variables in green purchase behavior in Turkey

Climate change, natural resource depletion, and ecological destruction cultivate an unsustainable environment for humans. This study aims to develop a predictive model via empirical research to investigate the impact of climate change worry on environmental attitude (EA), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) and to assess the effect of these three variables from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on green purchase intention (GPI) for green products. The study investigates the behavior of a sample of 334 Generation Z university students at a university in Turkey using the convenience sampling method. This study, based on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), demonstrates that young consumers' climate change worries increase their EA, SN, and PBC, all of which contribute to a stronger desire to purchase green products. According to the findings, while SN and PBC are found to have a positive effect on GPI, EA is not considered as a significant predictor of GPI. The findings substantiate the applicability of the TPB model specifically in terms of SN and PBC in elucidating intentions to buy green products. Our findings also imply that the impact of novel factors -in this case, climate change worries on GPB should also be considered.