Perceived environmental responsibility, green brand image, and green trust: asymmetric moderating roles of green self-concept consistency and green skepticism among electric-motorcycle users

Background Perceived Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (ECSR) signals environmental priorities, but consumers may interpret this signal differently when judging brand image and trust. We examine how green skepticism and green self-concept consistency (GSCC) moderate these associations among electric-motorcycle users. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 29/06/2026 to 28/07/2026, following the institutional ethical clearance issued on 25 June 2026, among 502 consenting adult electric-motorcycle owners or active users in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, recruited through purposive sampling. Six focal associations specified in the broader research framework were reported from SmartPLS 4 estimates using 5,000 bootstrap subsamples, two-tailed tests, and a 5% significance level. Separate composite-score analyses served as robustness checks. Results Perceived ECSR was positively associated with green brand image (β = 0.353, t = 9.363, p < 0.001) and green trust (β = 0.287, t = 7.030, p < 0.001); green brand image was associated with green trust (β = 0.319, t = 6.959, p < 0.001). Green skepticism weakened the ECSR–trust association (β = −0.125, p = 0.011). GSCC weakened the direct ECSR–trust association (β = −0.118, p = 0.002) but strengthened the ECSR–image association (β = 0.141, p < 0.001). The supplementary indirect ECSR → green brand image → green trust association was positive (β = 0.113, p < 0.001). Conclusions Perceived ECSR is associated with two distinguishable outcomes: environmental brand meaning and relational credibility. Identity fit shows opposing moderation patterns for image and direct trust, while skepticism weakens the direct trust association. The cross-sectional design does not establish causal or temporal effects.