ABSTRACT SAMPSON, LAURA KATHRYN. Consumer Analysis of Purchasing Behavior for Green Apparel. (Under the direction of Dr. Nancy Cassill, Professor Nancy Powell and Dr. Marguerite Moore). The purpose of this research is to evaluate consumer knowledge, beliefs, norms, motivations and attitudes on purchase intention and purchase behavior for green apparel. Specifically, the study examines the impact of consumer knowledge of green industry initiatives and green textile brands, consumer beliefs related to the general environment, subjective norms influencing green apparel purchasing, the motivation to purchase green apparel, consumer attitudes towards green products on the intention to purchase green apparel products and actual purchase behavior. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) provided the theoretical framework for the research. The TRA, often referred to as the behavioral intentions model, was constructed to explain the relationships between attitude and behavior (Azjen and Fishbein, 1980). According to the theory, a person‟s intention is a function of two basic determinants, one personal in nature and the other reflecting social influence (Azjen and Fishbein, 1980). To increase the scope of the model, beliefs, knowledge and motivations were added as items that influence intention to purchase. This research is performed on a convenience sample of college students which represents an important future market for environmentally friendly products both within and outside the textile industry. Data was collected from student respondents (N=303) in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University using a self-administered survey. Measurements for the model‟s constructs were adopted from the literature and in some cases adapted for the study. Cronbach‟s Alpha was used to evaluate the internal consistency of the scale items and linear regression was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicated significant relationships for all nine proposed hypotheses. Results suggest that consumer knowledge of green industry initiatives and green brands, beliefs relating to corporate responsibility, subjective norms, motivations to research, search and buy green apparel, and attitudes toward purchasing green apparel are all influential on the intention to purchase and purchase behavior within the context of purchasing green textiles and apparel. Implications for textile and apparel marketing are presented along with future directions for research academics and industry practitioners. Consumer Analysis of Purchasing Behavior for Green Apparel by Laura Kathryn Sampson A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science Textiles Raleigh, North Carolina 2009 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Nancy Cassill Nancy Powell Co-Chair of Advisory Committee Co-Chair of Advisory Committee ________________________________ Dr. Marguerite Moore Committee Member BIOGRAPHY Laura Kathryn Sampson was born in Jamestown, North Carolina on June 13, 1985. She is the daughter of Doug Sampson and Maria Sampson and has one older sister, Melanie. In Jamestown, she graduated from Ragsdale High School in June 2003. Following graduation, she continued her education at North Carolina State University in the College of Textiles. While at North Carolina State, Laura was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Order of Omega Greek Honor Society and Golden Key International Honor Society. In May 2007, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Textile Brand Management and Marketing. Following her undergraduate degree, she entered graduate school at North Carolina State University and was awarded a graduate assistantship funded by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Council of Competitiveness. She interned at Cotton Incorporated during the summer of 2008 with the Strategic Planning Division. Laura plans to complete the requirements to earn her Master‟s of Science in Textile Technology Management in May 2009. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my advisory committee for their support and motivation throughout my career at NC State. Specifically, I would like to thank Dr. Moore for her dedication and guidance to my research. I am extremely appreciative of the many hours she spent helping me construct, develop and implement my study. The faculty and students at NC State are fortunate to have her be a part of the College. I would like to thank Dr. Nancy Cassill for her unending guidance throughout my graduate and undergraduate work at NC State. Her dedication to her career, students, and the University has inspired me academically and professionally. I would also like to thank Professor Nancy Powell for her motivation and support. Her commitment to her students, through her time and advice, is an inspiration for me. I would also like to thank my family and friends. I feel so blessed to have a family that unconditionally supports my goals and dreams. Most importantly, I would like to thank my mom and dad for their dedication to my education. Thank you for being my biggest fan and my inspiration. I would also like to thank my sister, Melanie, for her unending love and friendship. She is my rock and I grow more appreciative of her every day. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my fiancé, Cameron for his unending support and patience over the past two years. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ x CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of Research ........................................................................................................ 4 Research Objectives ........................................................................................................ 4 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................. 5 Limitations of the Study .................................................................................................. 5 Conceptual Definitions .................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER II ........................................................................................................................... 8 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 8 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................... 8 The Theory of Reasoned Action ..................................................................................... 8 Conceptual Model .......................................................................................................... 11 Related Literature ......................................................................................................... 12 Knowledge .................................................................................................................. 12 Beliefs .......................................................................................................................... 13 Norms .......................................................................................................................... 14 Motivation ................................................................................................................... 16 Attitude ....................................................................................................................... 17 Purchase Intention ..................................................................................................... 19 Environmentally Friendly Apparel .............................................................................. 20 iv Federal Trade Commission Initiatives ........................................................................ 22 HYPOTHESES .................................................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER III ....................................................................................................................... 27 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................................................... 27 Purpose of Research ...................................................................................................... 27 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 28 Population and Sample ................................................................................................. 29 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................. 31 Independent Variables .................................................................................................. 31 Brand Knowledge....................................................................................................... 31 Beliefs .......................................................................................................................... 33 Subjective Norms ....................................................................................................... 34 Motivation ................................................................................................................... 36 Attitudes ...................................................................................................................... 36 Dependent Variables ..................................................................................................... 37 Purchase Intention ..................................................................................................... 37 Purchase ...................................................................................................................... 38 Questionnaire Format ................................................................................................... 40 Survey Procedures ......................................................................................................... 40 Data Analysis.................................................................................................................. 41 Statement on the Use of Human Subjects ................................................................... 42 CHAPTER IV........................................................................................................................ 43 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................... 43 v Response Rate ................................................................................................................ 44 Respondents’ Demographics ........................................................................................ 44 College of Textiles Demographics ................................................................................ 46 Respondents’ Shopping Characteristics ...................................................................... 48 Respondents’ Community Service Characteristics .................................................... 50 Respondent Exposure to Environmental Responsibility ........................................... 52 Measure Evaluation ....................................................................................................... 53 Knowledge .................................................................................................................. 54 Beliefs .......................................................................................................................... 54 Subjective Norms ....................................................................................................... 55 Motivation ................................................................................................................... 56 Attitude ....................................................................................................................... 57 Purchase Intention ..................................................................................................... 58 Purchase ...................................................................................................................... 59 Regression Models ......................................................................................................... 60 Hypothesis Tests ............................................................................................................ 63 Company Rankings ....................................................................................................... 66 Purchasing by Product Category ................................................................................. 67 CHAPTER 5 .......................................................................................................................... 69 CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS, FUTURE RESEARCH ........ 69 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 69 Implications .................................................................................................................... 75 Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 76 Future Research ............................................................................................................. 77 vi REFERERNCES ................................................................................................................... 80 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................ 86 Appendix A. Respondent Survey ...................................................................................... 87 Appendix B. IRB Exemption ............................................................................................. 94 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Items Used to Measure Brand Knowledge ............................................................... 32 Table 2. Companies Used to Rank Brand Knowledge ........................................................... 33 Table 3. Items Used to Measure Consumer Beliefs ................................................................ 34 Table 4. Items Used to Measure Subjective Norm ................................................................. 35 Table 5. Items Used to Measure Motivation ........................................................................... 36 Table 6. Items Used to Measure Attitudes .............................................................................. 37 Table 7. Items Used to Measure Purchase Intention ............................................................... 38 Table 8. Items Used to Measure Purchase .............................................................................. 39 Table 9. Product Categories Used to Measure Frequency of Purchase .................................. 40 Table 10. Sample Demographic Characteristics ..................................................................... 45 Table 11. College of Textiles Demographic Characteristics .................................................. 47 Table 12. Sample Demographic Shopping Characteristics..................................................... 50 Table 13. Sample Demographic Organization Characteristics ............................................... 51 Table 14. Environmental Organization Participation ............................................................. 52 Table 15. Sample Demographic Exposure Characteristics ..................................................... 53 Table 16. Knowledge .............................................................................................................. 54 Table 17. Beliefs ..................................................................................................................... 55 Table 18. Subjective Norms .................................................................................................... 56 Table 19. Motivation ............................................................................................................... 57 Table 20. Attitude ................................................................................................................... 58 Table 25. Purchase Intention................................................................................................... 59 Table 22. Purchase .................................................................................................................. 60 Table 23. Regression Models .................................................................................................. 61 Table 24. T-Table .................................................................................................................... 63 viii