Understanding green purchase intention among young consumers in an emerging market through social media influence, environmental awareness, and psychological mechanisms

Abstract Social media (SM) plays an important role in promoting sustainable consumption, especially among young consumers in emerging economies. However, previous studies have often focused on developed markets or examined only one psychological pathway at a time. Less is known about how SM shapes green purchase intention (GPI) through several mechanisms or whether green environmental awareness (GEA) changes these relationships. We analysed survey data from 936 consumers aged 18–30 in Da Nang, Vietnam, using an integrated stimulus-organism-response and theory of planned behaviour framework. SM was positively associated with GPI directly (β = 0.123) and indirectly through attitude, subjective norms, perceived green product value, and perceived behavioural control. All four indirect effects were significant (β = 0.046–0.095). GEA had the largest direct association with GPI (β = 0.322), and the model explained 74.7% of the variance in GPI. Two interactions were significant in the primary model, but neither was supported in the post hoc content-screened sensitivity model. Importance-performance map analysis showed that SM and GEA had the largest model-based total effects on GPI. These findings support testing credible SM communication and value-based messages as practical strategies to strengthen GPI, rather than assuming greater GEA will consistently amplify existing psychological pathways.