Sustainable Consumption and Electric Vehicles: Green Self-Identity as a Moderator Between Environmental Concern and Planned Behavior

Within worsening urban air pollution and a growing trend toward green transportation, electric vehicles, with rising awareness of sustainable development, are now considered a green transportation solution and are being studied extensively. This study, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), examines how environmental concerns and TPB components influence the intention to purchase electric vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City, and considers the moderating role of green identity in these relationships. Data were collected from 335 consumers in Ho Chi Minh City using a 5-level Likert questionnaire and analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. The results show that environmental concerns positively influence attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and the intention to purchase electric vehicles. Attitudes and perceived behavioral control positively influence purchase intention, whereas subjective norms are not significant. Furthermore, green identity positively moderates the relationships between attitude, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intention, but is not significant for the relationship between subjective norms and purchase intention. The study contributes to the expansion of TPB in the context of green consumption and offers practical implications for businesses seeking to promote electric-vehicle purchase intentions.