Hedonic Value and Normative Goal: The Role of Interdependent Self-Construal in the Evaluation of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives

Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs) have gained attention as part of sustainable dietary transitions, yet consumer evaluations may reflect both environmental and hedonic considerations. Hedonic value was of particular theoretical interest because its relationship with normative goals is less theoretically established than that of biospheric value. Drawing on Goal-Framing Theory (GFT), this study examined how biospheric and hedonic values are associated with normative goals, whether normative goals are associated with attitude toward PBMAs, and whether interdependent self-construal moderates the association between hedonic value and normative goal. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted through a Korean research panel with a final analytic sample of 288 consumers aged 20–39 who had prior experience consuming plant-based beverages. All respondents received the same environmental information before completing the study measures. Confirmatory factor analysis and PROCESS-based indirect-effect and moderation analyses were conducted. Biospheric and hedonic values were positively associated with normative goals, which were positively associated with attitude toward PBMAs. Both values showed significant indirect associations with attitude through normative goals. The association between hedonic values and normative goals was not statistically significant at a low level of interdependent self-construal but was positive at the mean and high levels. These findings suggest that a general hedonic value orientation is not necessarily incompatible with normative goals in the environmental-information context examined in this study and that interdependent self-construal may represent a relevant boundary condition in value–goal associations.