How access shapes identity-based evaluation: the role of participation pathways in sustainability-related experiences

Purpose This research examine whether green self-identity shapes satisfaction with experiences featuring explicit sustainability initiatives directly or indirectly through perceived value congruence, and whether ticket-acquisition channels condition this identity-based evaluation process. Design/methodology/approach Across three complementary studies based on two concert events within the same tour, the research combines time-separated survey data, a longitudinal matched panel, and within-person observations. Study 1 uses data from the Bangkok event (N = 265) and partial least squares structural equation modeling. Study 2, based on respondents participating in both events (N = 187), found no significant mean-level change in green self-identity over the fourteen-month interval. Study 3 employed linear mixed-effects modeling among participants whose ticket-acquisition channels changed across occasions (N = 102), providing within-person evidence that the identity-to-congruence relationship varied across access conditions. Findings Green self-identity had no significant direct effect on experiential satisfaction once perceived value congruence was included, whereas its indirect effect through perceived value congruence remained significant, supporting an indirect-only mediation process. The positive relationship between green self-identity and perceived value congruence was also weaker among consumers using secondary rather than official ticket-acquisition channels. Originality/value These findings show that green self-identity does not automatically translate into satisfaction but becomes evaluatively consequential through perceived value congruence. By showing that identity-to-congruence relationship varies across ticket-acquisition conditions, the research provides a more context-sensitive account of identity-based evaluation in sustainability-related experiences.