Ecolabels and Swedish Consumers’ Green

Buying Behavior

A Quantitative Study of Factors Influencing Green Buying Behavior

Towards Ecolabelled Food

Emilia Klintebjer Brecelj

Business and Economics, bachelor's level

2021

Luleå University of Technology

Department of Social Sciences, Technology and Arts

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Lecturer Jeandri Robertson in the Department

of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences at Luleå University of

Technology. The completion of this thesis would have not been possible without her valuable

advice, encouragement and patient guidance. My gratitude is also extended to my classmates

in who have given me useful critiques throughout the progress of my thesis.

Lastly, I would like to further extend my sincere thanks to all the people that have been

contributing with their time in order for me to be able to fulfill this thesis. To my dearest family

and friends, to all the respondents and to all the researchers out there who have inspired me,

Thank You.

Emilia Klintebjer Brecelj

ABSTRACT

The steadily increased environmental concerns have become exceedingly palpable over time,

not at least in consumers’ way of demanding greener products, or companies’ ways of

incorporating green marketing strategies. A common tool for companies producing

environmentally friendly food is ecolabelling. Foods with ecolabels on them enable consumers

to know that this certain product indicates a good environmental choice. There are various

factors that influence consumers’ buying behavior towards it. The purpose of this thesis is to

examine whether knowledge, attitude and subjective norms have any relationship with Swedish

consumers’ green buying behavior. A theoretical framework consisting of literature-identified

constructs was developed. Using a questionnaire, a sample size of 158 was realized which was

statistically analyzed. Findings indicated that there is a positive relationship between buying

behavior and knowledge, attitude and subjective norms. It further revealed that the buying

behavior towards ecolabelled food was not that common among the respondents. Hence, the

study suggests that despite the positive attitude and sufficient amount of knowledge, consumers

are still not that keen about buying ecolabelled food.

Keywords: Green Marketing, Green Buying Behavior, Ecolabels, Attitudes, Knowledge,

Subjective Norms

SAMMANFATTNING

De stadigt ökade miljöproblemen har blivit mer påtagliga över tid, vilket har avspeglats i

konsumenternas efterfrågan av hållbara produkter och företagens sätt att nyttja gröna

marknadsföringsstrategier. För företag som producerar miljövänlig mat så är miljömärkning ett

vanligt förekommande verktyg. Livsmedel med ekomärken på gör det möjligt för

konsumenterna att veta denna specifika produkt indikerar ett bra miljöval. Det finns olika

faktorer som påverkar konsumenternas köpbeteende av ekomärkta livsmedel. Syftet med denna

avhandling är att undersöka om faktorerna kunskap, attityd och subjektiva normer påvisar ett

samband med de svenska konsumenternas gröna köpbeteende. Ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående

av tidigare forskning och konstruktioner utvecklades. Tillämpningen av ett frågeformulär

möjliggjorde ett urval på 158 respondenter, vars svar analyserades statistiskt. De observerade

värdena utgjorde grunden för det empiriska data och analysen av detta. Resultatet påvisade att

det fanns ett positivt samband mellan köpbeteende och kunskap, attityd och subjektiva normer.

Det påvisade vidare att köpbeteendet gentemot ekomärkta livsmedel inte var så förekommande

bland respondenterna. Således har denna avhandling bidragit med användbar insikt gällande de

svenska konsumenterna och deras konsumtion av ekomärkta livsmedel. Detta då trots positiv

attityd och god kunskap kring ekomärkta livsmedel, så framkom det att konsumtionen av

ekomärkta livsmedel inte var vanligt förekommande bland de svenska konsumenterna.

Nyckelord: Grön marknadsföring, Grönt Köpbeteende, Ekomärkning, Attityder, Kunskap,

Subjektiva Normer

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 PROBLEM DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................... 3

1.3 PURPOSE OF THESIS ........................................................................................................................................ 5

1.4 DELIMITATIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 5

1.5 STRUCTURE OF STUDY .................................................................................................................................... 6

2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 7

2.1 GREEN MARKETING ........................................................................................................................................ 7

2.1.1 Green Products ...................................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.2 Green Washing ....................................................................................................................................... 8

2.2 CONCEPT OF ECOLABELLING .......................................................................................................................... 9

2.3 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR DYNAMICS ............................................................................................................... 12

2.3.1 Consumers’ Attitudes ........................................................................................................................... 13

2.3.2 Consumers’ Knowledge ....................................................................................................................... 15

2.3.3 Consumers’ Subjective Norms ............................................................................................................. 16

2.4 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................................... 17

2.5 HYPOTHESES ................................................................................................................................................. 17

3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................... 18

3.1 RESEARCH PURPOSE ..................................................................................................................................... 18

3.2 RESEARCH APPROACH .................................................................................................................................. 18

3.3 LITERATURE SEARCH .................................................................................................................................... 19

3.4 DATA COLLECTION ....................................................................................................................................... 20

3.4.1 The Questionnaire ................................................................................................................................ 21

3.5 SAMPLE SELECTION ...................................................................................................................................... 23

3.6 DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................... 24

3.7 CREDIBILITY ................................................................................................................................................. 24

3.7.1 Validity ................................................................................................................................................. 25

3.7.2 Reliability ............................................................................................................................................. 26

4. DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................ 28

4.1 ANALYSIS OF SAMPLE ................................................................................................................................... 28

4.2 MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ................................................................................................................... 30

4.2.1 Analysis of Significances and Correlations ......................................................................................... 30

4.2.2 Analysis of Descriptive Statistics and Model Summary ....................................................................... 32

6. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................. 36

6.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................................. 36

6.2 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................... 37

6.3 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 39

6.4 MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 40

6.5 LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH .......................................................................................................................... 41

6.6 FUTURE RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS ................................................................................................................ 41

LIST OF REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 43

APPENDIX 1. SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................................................... 50

APPENDIX 2. MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ...................................................................................... 55

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1. Introduction This chapter presents the foundation of this thesis. The background section introduces the topic,

which will be the leitmotif throughout this study. The problem statement, research questions

and the significance of the study will be further presented. The chapter concludes with the

delimitations and this study’s structure. These sections will outline the narrowing of the topic.

1.1 Background

The fact that mankind has been contributing to the rapid increase of the Earth’s surface

temperature has been known for years (Kellogg, 1987). The heating is still occurring, and the

global climate change is perceptible now, more than ever before (Ricart et al., 2019). It is well

known that the global temperature is rising globally, ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are

shrinking, the global sea level is accelerating and the number of extreme weather events are

rising (Hanna et al., 2013; Nerem et al., 2018; Singer, 2006). We are witnesses to an

unequivocal climate change, a change in which we are victim and perpetrator (Stocker, 2014).

The climate-affecting decisions made throughout history until the present affect the collective,

and we are doomed if we do not do something about it (Archer & Rahmstorf, 2010;

Pierrehumbert, 2019). Mankind is living in a climate emergency, and individuals and

governments around the world have unified in order to prevent further damage (United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015; Climate Emergency Declaration, 2019;

Fitch-Roy & Fairbrass, 2018).

The environmental crisis has led companies to reform their strategies due to climate change

policies, by reducing the impact from use of energy, manufacturing and distribution (Comyns,

2018). Private households also play an important role when striving to address climate change,

as the consumption behaviors of individuals are highly associated with carbon emissions

(Bretschger & Smulders, 2012; Wells et al., 2011). Individuals’ consumption behaviors are

complex, even more so when it comes to motivate for sustainable consumption (Choudhary &

Gokarn, 2013; Jackson, 2005; Moisander, 2007).

Sustainable consumption refers to humans’ needs being fulfilled through goods and services,

which are based on resources that have a minimal impact on the environment (Choudhary &

Gokarn, 2013). Sustainable consumption in terms of actual buying behavior is usually referred

to as green buying behavior (Mainieri et al., 1997). Green buying behaviors are essential if

striving towards sustainable development, as without incorporating sustainable lifestyles,

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mankind’s contributions to environmental degradation will continue. Therefore, it is important

for companies to understand consumers’ green buying behaviors and motivations (Gonçalves

et al., 2016). In this way, marketers can develop solutions to environmental challenges that

corresponds to the consumers’ need (Gonçalves et al., 2016). Communicating the pivotal

principles behind sustainable goods and services to stakeholders, may increase overall

awareness and benefits about sustainable consumption (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017). Thus,

the outcome is green marketing, defined as the integration of sustainable business practices

(Choudhary & Gokarn, 2013).

Green marketing has developed through the awareness of climate change and originates from

the mid-to-late 20th century. As the environmental awareness among the world’s population

steadily increases, the implementation of green marketing enables the possibility of enhanced

trust among consumers’ demanding sustainable products (Rezai et al., 2013). Companies are

employing green practices and enlightening consumers about this through various elements

such as ecolabeling, environmental advertisement and eco-branding (Yeng & Yazdanifard,

2015). However, consumer’s green buying behavior of green marketed goods and services do

also depend on each individual’s own environmental consciousness (Delafrooz et al., 2014).

But, assessing consumer’s perception of companies’ green marketing approaches, such as

ecolabeling and how it impacts their green buying behaviors, would thus serve to better

understand factors that encourage pro-environmental consumer behavior.

Not only does the individual’s environmental consciousness influence their green buying

behavior, but also factors such as their knowledge, attitude and subjective norms (Asiegbu et

al., 2012; Thøgersen, 2010). When a consumer considers buying a product, their decision is

strongly influenced by their attitude towards it (Asiegbu et al., 2012). To understand a

consumer’s attitude, the tri-component attitude model can be useful. The model is based on

three components that together constitute human attitude: cognitive component, affective

component and conative component. The cognitive component is related to the factor

knowledge, and accurate knowledge about a green product and its attributes, influences

consumers’ green buying behavior towards it (Hossain & Lim, 2016; Thøgersen, 2010).

Another factor that might influence green buying behavior is subjective norms, that is the

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normative expectations an individual has from significant others regarding how one should act

(Vallerand et al., 1992).

To fulfil a basic human need of sustenance, consumers, including Swedish consumers, visit

supermarkets to purchase food. When Swedish consumers are visiting a store, it is very likely

they will be exposed to products with ecolabels on them (Swedish Society for Nature

Conservation, 2021). Sweden is at the forefront regarding pro-environmental performance

(Environmental Performance Index, 2018). One could assume that Swedes have a positive

attitude toward pro-environmental actions. Their knowledge about the attributes that are

representing a positive climate might be positively influenced by significant others to consume

environmentally friendly food.

1.2 Problem Discussion

Environmental concerns are widespread, and these concerns have led governments to take

action towards sustainable development, highlighted the business operations of companies, and

necessitated people to reconsider their own way of living (Comyns, 2018; Moisander, 2007;

Webster, 1975). Incorporating green marketing is an approach for companies to become more

sustainable with their operations and it indeed satisfies the needs of consumers, whilst

preventing further environmental degradation (Kotler, 2011; Yeng & Yazdanifard, 2015).

Furthermore, the outcome of a company implementing green marketing in their strategies can

result in competitive advantage, due to individuals demanding environmental consciousness

(Yeng & Yazdanifard, 2015). However, the knowledge of consumers’ perception of the various

green marketing means is essential in order to know how to approach them effectively

(Gonçalves et al., 2016). Climate change is real and the importance of behaving pro-

environmentally is vital. Thus, one can argue that incorporating green marketing and

understanding the consumers should be a basic principle for all businesses.

Green marketing does not only benefit the environment, but the businesses themselves as they

can achieve lower costs, competitive advantage and positive development (Papadas, 2017). A

green marketing approach enhances consumer motivation towards sustainable consumption as

elements such as ecologically produced packaging, ecolabels, the product price and the brand

itself have an effect on the perceived consumer value that consumers get when they consider

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purchasing a green product (Ansar, 2013). According to Hartmann and Apaolaza Ibáñez (2006),

the challenge for marketers is how to persuade consumers of the individual benefits of

consuming green products.

Extant research asserts that creating awareness about the overall benefits of consuming green

products, will result in an increase in consumers’ prospective behaviors of buying products

from the green segment (Rezai et al., 2013; Scholl et al., 2010). However, awareness can be

created in different ways. Studies have found that green marketing mix strategies, such as

environmental advertisement, pricing and ecological produced packaging, influence

consumers awareness and purchasing behaviors (Ansar, 2013; Mahmoud, 2018; Mainieri et

al.,1997; Yeng & Yazdanifard, 2015).

One way to create awareness is ecolabeling, which are product labels that indicate that the

product has been ecologically-sustainably produced. For the right to use certain ecolabels,

companies have to be ecologically certified by independent organizations who are certified

themselves (Sønderskov & Daugbjreg, 2011; Tian, 2003). Whether consumers pay attention to

the message from ecolabels that guide them to purchase environmentally produced products,

is something that researchers are questioning according to Taufique et al. (2013). Consumers

that already carry knowledge about certain ecolabels, have a positive attitude towards them,

and trust them as being legitimate, will more likely remember the message from the labeling,

compared to consumers who experience uncertainty and mistrust (Thogersen, 2002).

However, there is limited research in the context of Swedish consumers, with less known about

the relationship between knowledge, attitude and subjective norms towards ecolabels and

consumers’ green buying behavior (Einarsson et al., 2021; Lefébure & Rosales Muñoz, 2011).

Deeper insight could guide Swedish businesses and marketers regarding how to promote

themselves in a sustainable manner. Having this knowledge regarding Swedish consumers

could also be beneficial for start-ups or businesses that have not incorporated green marketing

yet. This could be of importance, as they would obtain information regarding how knowledge,

attitudes and subjective norms are influencing consumers’ perception of ecolabels. So,

conducting this study in order to identify any correlation or relationship between Swedish

consumers’ knowledge, attitude and subjective norms towards ecolabels and green purchasing

behaviors could lead to increased consumer understanding for businesses.

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1.3 Purpose of Thesis

The purpose of this thesis is to understand whether Swedish consumers’ knowledge, attitude

and subjective norms towards ecolabels have an impact on their green buying behavior. The

aim is to enable a greater understanding of consumer behavior and preferences, as this

knowledge can be utilized when developing green marketing strategies. To fulfill the purpose

of this thesis, three research questions were defined as follow:

RQ1. How does the Swedish consumers’ knowledge about ecolabels influence their green buying behavior?

RQ2. How does the attitude towards ecolabels influence the Swedish consumers’ green buying behavior?

RQ3. How do subjective norms regarding ecolabels influence Swedish consumers’ green buying behavior?

1.4 Delimitations

Green marketing is a broad research topic. In this study, the focus will be on the green marketing

communication tool ecolabels, related to food. The research area will be narrowed down as

well, as the focus is solely on attitude, knowledge and subjective norms regarding these

ecolabels in relation to consumer’s green buying behavior. Furthermore, this study will have a

quantitative approach towards Swedish consumers from 18 years and older that are purchasing

their own groceries. However, due to the short time frame and that COVID-19 has affected day-

to-day life significantly, delimitations in how to conduct the quantitative analysis had to be

further considered. As such, the researcher made use of an online survey to collect the data.

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1.5 Structure of Study

Figure 1 to the right introduces the outline of what is

expected to come throughout this thesis. The study

initiates with the introduction namely, this chapter.

The study then continues further to chapter 2 that

embraces the literature that will lay the foundation for

the upcoming chapters. Chapter 3, 4 and 5 cover how

the empirical data was collected, analyses of data and

results. The thesis is then concluded with chapter 6

that covers the discussion of findings and conclusions

of this study.

Figure 1. Thesis Outline

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2. Literature Review

This chapter presents essential theories and previous research relevant for the research area

in this thesis. The literature review will have an emphasis on theories, constructs and research

linked to green marketing, ecolabelling, consumer behavior, attitudes, knowledge and

subjective norms. Thenceforth, the chapter concludes with a conceptual framework study and

the hypotheses.

2.1 Green Marketing

When implementing marketing strategies that are developed with components based on

environmental consciousness, the approach of green marketing is utilized. An explicit

definition of the terminology green marketing is not transparent as the range of strategies is

broad. Simply defined, green marketing incorporates activities such as modification of

products, production process, and packaging with minimized environmental harm (Peattie &

Charter, 2003). The green marketing concept was developed in the mid-to-late 20th century,

but it was not academically discussed until the 1990s. Since then, green marketing practices

have appeared across various industries (Papadas et al., 2017). Engaging in green marketing

enables companies to improve resource efficiency which most often leads to lowered costs

(Kotler, 2011). Besides the monetary benefits, the adoption of green marketing may result in

an improvement of value propositions and customer loyalty (Rezai et al., 2013; Solaiman et

al., 2015).

Ginsburg and Bloom (2004, p.81) discuss the Green Marketing Strategy Matrix, which

presents four different strategies to approach green marketing. The four strategies are Defensive

Green, Lean Green, Extreme Green and Shaded Green. The defensive green strategy tends to

be implemented when companies use green marketing as a precaution. When companies strive

for operating on a pro-environmental basis to reduce cost and improve efficiencies, without

marketing it they are approaching the lean green marketing strategy. Extreme green marketing

strategy is implemented when companies have a pro-environmental force that is driving their

way of operating their business, and where greenness is integrated in all their processes. Shaded

green involves implementing long-term environmental processes that fosters green innovations

and competitive advantages (Ginsburg & Bloom, 2004).

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One common factor in all of these marketing approaches is that they all incorporate

“greenness” of the product element, thus it is a relevant factor to include when approaching

green marketing strategies. The product element originates from the marketing mix strategy,

which emphasizes the development of the product’s design, quality, packaging (Borden, 1964).

2.1.1 Green Products

A brand has several components recognized as identities, which together constitute the brand.

Kotler (1991, p. 442) defines the identities as “a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or

combination of them which is intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group

of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitor”. There are brands which

consumers associate environmentalism with, and these are usually classified as green brands.

The brand identities for these brands are usually based on environmental features (Chen, 2010).

Thus, green products that are produced with environmental features are usually communicated

through the brand’s identity.

The production of green products has emerged due to the need for an improved and healthier

environment. The consumption of green products can also be perceived as beneficial for

individuals with a belief that organic and ecolabelled food comes with health advantages

(Crinnion, 2010; Hartmann & Apaolaza Ibáñez, 2006). But in general, there is consumer

engagement in green produced products for the sake of the environment (Soon & Kong, 2012).

Besides the environmental aspects, studies have shown that consumers might perceive green

products as too expensive or even stressful if there is a “lack of availability, higher perceived

prices and improper communications” (Barbarossa & Pastore, 2015, p. 201).

2.1.2 Green Washing

Unauthentic communications regarding pro-environmental practices can be associated with the

marketing spin green washing. This phenomenon occurs when organizations pose or claim that

a product or service is being good for the environment when in reality it is not (Dahl, 2010). It

misleads consumers in terms of which products are better for the environment. Thus, green

washing increases the skepticism which might result in consumers not purchasing any green

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products. As such, green washing not only harms individuals and companies, but also the

environment as it is indirectly affected (Dahl, 2010; Furlow, 2010; Polonsky et al., 1998).

Confusion among consumers regarding authentic green communication is a reality. There are

issues with identifying green produced products among all the other products with green

attributes claiming themselves being pro-environmental (Brécard, 2017). According to

McCluskey et al. (2003), for some consumers, ecolabelled and organic-labelled products that

are marketed with terms as eco-friendly or environmental-friendly might be perceived as the

same. Hence, proper product labelling is an important tool, especially when marketing green,

as it exposes consumers to a broad spectrum of products (Brécard, 2017; McCluskey et al.,

2013).

2.2 Concept of Ecolabelling

A common tool for companies to utilize when approaching green marketing strategies are

ecolabels, which usually are related to, in terms of groceries, the product’s packaging design

(Sharma & Kushwama, 2019). This tool enables companies to distinguish green produced

products from the non-green ones, and to mediate that information further to consumers

through the product’s packaging (Sharma & Kushwama, 2019).

The ecolabels provide two functions, that is informing consumers about the intangible

characteristics of the product. Also, to provide the consumers’ value, as the products are of

quality and tend to convey prestige (Delafrooz et al., 2014). Even though the function of these

labels is to enlighten consumers, provide them with value and to distinguish green products, it

tends to fail its purpose (Lewis & Stanely, 2012). With the combination of limited package

information and lack of awareness among individuals, consumers fail to perceive the mediated

message (Lewis & Stanely, 2012). Companies are recommended to act wisely when marketing,

as it is the proper usage of ecolabels and information that prevents deception (Brécard, 2017;

Sharma & Kushwama, 2019).

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As mentioned, ecolabels are a symbol or logo featured on the packaging of products which

distinguishes the product from non-green produced products (Sharma & Kushwama, 2019).

There are both mandatory and voluntary ecolabels, the latter mentioned are commonly used

for foods (Rex & Baumann, 2007). The International Standardization Organization (ISO)

issued a series of international guidelines named ISO 14000. The aim is to give organizations

the tools and directives needed to build a green foundation within their corporations (Daddi et

al., 2011). The labels that are voluntary have been categorized into type I, type II and type III,

seen in Figure 2 below. These three categories represent labels with different features, in which

type I refers specifically to ecolabels (Rex & Baumann, 2007).

Figure 2. Classification of Environmental Labels Source: Adapted from Horne (2009)

Within the ecolabelling process, there are three actors of interest involved: Consumers,

Producers and Third-Party Organizations (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017; Mainieri et al., 1997;

Tian, 2003). The independent third-party certifying organizations are the ones that approve and

certify other companies for the usage of their respective ecolabels. Thus, the producer of the

products must satisfy the requirements issued by the third parties (Darnall & Vázquez-Brust,

2018). The reason why companies apply for the right to use ecolabels might be because they

want to increase their financial benefits or gain competitive advantage (Yeng & Yazdanifard,

2015).

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The purchasers of ecolabelled products are different kinds of consumers that either have a

demand for green products or are simply purchasing it for other causes (Crinnion, 2010). It

might be due to the quality, ethical consumption reasons, or wanting to contribute to prevent

further environmental degradation (Choudhary & Gokarn, 2013; Crinnion, 2010; Soon &

Kong, 2012). All customers that purchase products with ecolabels must, initially, adopt the

ecolabel itself. The process of adopting an ecolabel consists of several phases of which all are

quite dynamic and complex, see Figure 3. (Thøgersen, 2010).

Figure 3. Simplified Model of the Adoption Process Source: Reconstructed from Thøgersen (2010)

The figure illustrates that external factors such as environmental factors, personal factors and

product related factors might influence the consumers adoption process. When consumers

decide to buy an ecolabelled product, their decision making is influenced by product related

factors. The logo of the ecolabel is the type of information that is related to the product, without

the logo on a product the consumer would not know that it is ecologically produced. If the

consumers are aware about what the logo certifies, or what the term ecological signifies then

they will be able to perceive the label which in turn will influence their buying decision. Hence,

will the consumer not proceed with the adoption process of an ecolabel if there is not any

awareness of what it signifies (D’Souza et al., 2006; Thøgersen, 2002).

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In conclusion, the adoption process refers to the process when consumers develop an awareness

of a product, followed by an understanding of its value, up until finally purchasing or

consuming it (Thøgersen, 2002). The marketing tool, ecolabels, are simplifying the decision-

making process. However, for a consumer to begin the adoption process, there must be some

type of awareness of what information the ecolabel signifies (Thøgersen, 2002).

2.3 Consumer Behavior Dynamics

Individuals make simple decisions every day, such as what to eat for dinner or which clothes

to wear. These decisions might appeal as fractional, but they are indeed of great interest for

marketers. Understanding consumer behavior enables marketers to detect what influences their

buying behavior (Kotler & Keller, 2016). This knowledge further enables marketers to adjust

necessary features for a product or service, in a sense which have the greatest impression on

consumers (Delafrooz et al., 2014; Katona, 1967). The consumer buying dynamics are rather

broad, and as seen in Figure 4, it consists of several aspects that must be taken into account.

The relevant aspect for this study to immerse within, are what has been presented in the

previous section, the marketing stimuli communications, and consumer psychology, consumer

characteristics and the buying decision process in this section.

Figure 4. Model of Consumer Behavior Source: Reconstructed from Kotler & Keller (2016)

Consumer psychology refers to the study of individuals’ physcological factors that influence

their buying decision process. The psychological aspects are various and diverse. Kotler and

Keller (2016) highlight the four key aspects: motivation, perception, learning and memory. The

consumer’s attitude is shaped from these aspects and there are several psychological factors

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that influence its formation (Katona, 1967). The consumer characteristics refer to the cultural,

social and personal aspects that influence consumers’ buying behaviors. The social aspect

refers to consumers’ surroundings, which consists of different factors, so-called reference

groups, cliques, family and social roles and statuses (Kotler & Keller 2016). The reference

groups are of interest as they consist of individuals that have a direct or indirect influence on

the consumers’ attitudes, behaviors and norms (Kotler & Keller 2016). Hence, among other

factors, the consumers’ social norms are influenced by the reference groups that may consist

of family, friends, religious or professional groups (Kotler & Keller 2016).

The consumer buying decision process is explained by Kotler and Keller (2016) as a process

consisting of five stages. The stages consist of problem recognition, information search,

evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase behavior. The initial phase,

problem recognition, occurs when a consumer recognizes a need, which are either triggered by

internal needs such as thirst or external needs for instance through advertisement. Information

search refers to when consumers become receptive to information or when they actively search

for it. The third phase, evaluation of alternatives, is the phase when consumers evaluate the

gathered information and compare it to provided information from competitors. The two last

phases highlight the process when consumers are purchasing a product to satisfy their need,

followed by the post-purchase decision that occurs when consumers are evaluating whether the

purchase satisfied their needs or not (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

2.3.1 Consumers’ Attitudes

The term attitude has several definitions, among those are Wild and Wild (2020, p.72) who

define attitude as “positive or negative evaluations, feelings, and tendencies that individuals

harbor toward objects or concepts”. Attitudes are strongly linked to consumers’ buying

behaviors. In the third phase of the buying decision process, evaluation of alternatives tends to

be influenced by the attitudes that consumers have. Whilst in the fourth phase, when the

consumers are to proceed with their final purchase, the decision made is a direct response to

their attitudes (Litvin & MacLaurin, 2001). Understanding consumers’ attitudes towards a

segment of green products, enables it to predict their willingness to buy those products (Sharma

et al., 2013).

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As earlier mentioned, attitude is shaped based on complex combinations of various aspects

such as values, beliefs, and behaviors (Katona, 1967; Schwepker & Cornwell, 1991).

Consumers with pro-environmental attitudes tend to pursue buying decisions that reflect their

attitudes (Schwepker & Cornwell, 1991; Sharma et al., 2013). According to Roberts (1996), a

consumer’s pro-environmental attitude is a great predictor of their “green” consumer behavior.

Consumers’ attitudes can be understood through the Tri-component attitude model (Asiegbu et

al., 2012). The attitude is composed of three major components, hence the name of the model,

and those are the cognitive, affect and conative components. Each of these components can be

viewed as the attitude’s independent underlying dimensions that are interrelated with one

another (Asiegbu et al., 2012).

The cognitive component refers to the individual’s awareness and knowledge and in terms of

marketing, it is usually referred to the knowledge about an attitude object and its marketing

mix, i.e., the place, price, product and promotion (Asiegbu et al., 2012). For individuals, the

foundation of this cognitive component toward attitude objects has been shaped from

experiences, relevant accessible information and different kinds of sources such as friends,

family, or electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This attitude component has emerged through

the consumers beliefs and opinions, as it results with the consumers perceiving that the attitude

object has certain features (Asiegbu et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2009).

The feelings and emotions that a consumer has towards objects refer to the affect component.

This component primarily evolves from human nature aspects, as it manifests itself through

reactions, judgements, evaluations and through feelings such as joy, sadness, anger etc.

(Asiegbu et al., 2012). Consumer evaluation of attitude towards an object is further shaped by

their positive, negative or neutral emotions towards it (Asiegbu et al., 2012). The emotional

states can recur and be recalled in the prospective, this as emotions towards subjects get stored

in the memory.

The conative component manages the consumer’s inclination of acting in a certain way toward

the attitude object. It is the outcome of the consumer’s attitudes, and it is the only component

in which can be observed, as the two later components mentioned can only be inferred. This

15

component enables it to analyze a consumer’s intentions towards an attitude object. Hence,

will the intention toward it be based on the perception and the emotions that the consumer has.

The components are all contributing to the formation of a consumer’s attitude. The models’

structure has been criticized, as research has raised uncertainties regarding the linkages that the

cognitive and affective components have with the conative component (Wicker, 1969). But

more recent studies do highlight that all three components are linked and do cooperatively

affect the attitude (Asiegbu et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2009).

2.3.2 Consumers’ Knowledge

Consumer knowledge is classified into three categories based on different characteristics, that

is subjective knowledge, objective knowledge and product experience. The subjective

knowledge refers to when consumers believe they know something, whereas objective

knowledge is what a consumer has memorized by time, followed by an actual experience of a

product through usage, information-search and more (Brucks, 1985; Peschel et al., 2016).

Previous research has found that subjective consumer knowledge has a greater influence on

environmental behavior compared to what objective knowledge has (Peschel et al., 2016). On

the other hand, early adoption of labels is more related to the consumer’s objective knowledge

(Moorman et al., 2004; Thøgersen, 2010). It is further found that for a consumer to be affected

by extrinsic attributes, such as price, labels, packaging of the product, and brand name, does

not require high levels of knowledge (Peschel at al., 2016).

Furthermore, knowledge and awareness regarding an attitude object (e.g., people, things,

places) are directly linked to a consumer’s buying decision and consumer’s cognitive attitude

(Asiegbu et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2009). It is an important aspect to consider when analyzing

consumers’ decision-making. When consumers already possess existing relevant knowledge

surrounding the attitude object, their decision-making will be evaluated based on that existing

knowledge (Hossain & Lim, 2016). Thus, the amount of knowledge influences the consumer’s

perception of the object, and any lack of it might result in avoidance (Peschel at al., 2016).

Among the factors that can increase a consumers’ knowledge about an attitude object are

external factors (Asiegbu et al., 2012). This includes knowledge about the environmental

spectrum, in which accurate knowledge about it is one of the variables that fosters green

16

consumer behavior the most. Individuals with greater knowledge in this spectrum process the

information related to green products easier compared to those without (Delafrooz et al., 2014).

Even adequate knowledge can have an advantageous effect on choices, for instance, of pro-

environmental foods in the decision-making process (Hossain & Lim, 2016; Thøgersen, 2010).

Hence, inadequate knowledge about green products and its attributes influence the

consumption of it, but the knowledge might increase if consumers get more exposed to it

(Hossain & Lim, 2016). However, the more environmental knowledge the consumer has, the

greater is the probability that the consumer will purchase green products (Hossain & Lim,

2016).

2.3.3 Consumers’ Subjective Norms

Subjective norms are a function of normative beliefs, and the latter can be defined as “an

individual that are accepted by specific people or groups and dictate whether behaving in a

particular fashion is appropriate” (Fang, et al., 2017, p. 3). When consumers are experiencing

the need to engage in a certain behavior with a perception to what significant others may think

of it, they are a subject to the social subjective norm (Dillard & Pfau, 2002; Vallerand et al.,

1992).

There are two kinds of categories that sustainable behaviors can be classified into, normative

and self-enhancing behaviors (Dillard & Pfau, 2002). As earlier stated, normative pressure is

common when a consumer acts based on what significant others might think. These significant

others are usually family, friends or co-workers (Minton, 2018; Sheppard et al., 1998). Swedish

studies are showing that environmental concerns are growing among the Swedish population,

across all age distributions (Ekholm, 2020; Gustafsson & Hultmann, 2020; Hallgren, 2017;

Åslund & Dahlgren, 2019). Therefore, it is reasonable to predict that subjective norms

regarding sustainable behaviors might have increased among Swedish consumers, as studies

have found an increased environmental concern among Swedes (Ekholm, 2020; Gustafsson &

Hultmann, 2020; Hallgren, 2017). But despite that, the intention for a consumer to perform in

a sustainable manner will increase if the attitude and subjective norms are in favor of the

environment (Ajzen, 2002).

17

2.4 Conceptual Framework

In order to be able to answer the research questions, an evaluation on the Swedish consumers

attitude, knowledge and subjective norms in relation to the consumers’ buying behavior of

ecolabelled food must be conducted. The proposed conceptual framework of Swedish

consumers buying behavior of ecolabelled products and influencing components are illustrated

in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Conceptual Framework

2.5 Hypotheses

The hypotheses are the assumptions that will be tested to see if there is any correlation between

these variables. The first hypotheses refer to whether there is a positive correlation between

Swedish consumers’ attitude towards the ecolabel and their buying behaviors. The second refers

to that there is a positive correlation between Swedish consumers’ knowledge of ecolabels and

the consumers’ buying behaviors. Lastly, the third hypothesis refers to that there is a positive

correlation between the Swedish consumers’ subjective norms and their buying behaviors

towards ecolabels

H1: There is a positive relationship between knowledge of ecolabels and Swedish consumers’ buying behavior of green products with ecolabels on them.

H2: There is a positive relationship between attitudes towards ecolabels and Swedish consumers’ buying behavior of green products with ecolabels on them.

H3: There is a positive relationship between subjective norms and Swedish consumers’ buying behavior of green products with ecolabels on them.

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3. Methodology

This chapter presents the research methodology of this study. The research purpose and

research approach are introduced first. This is then followed by a discussion surrounding how

the literature search was conducted. Thereafter, the data collection, sample selection, and data

analysis will be presented. A presentation of the methodology’s credibility will conclude this

chapter.

3.1 Research Purpose

The purpose of this study was to establish a greater understanding of Swedish consumers’

knowledge, attitude, and subjective norms towards ecolabels and to assess whether it influences

their green buying behavior. As such, a descriptive research design was followed. The research

questions all assess how knowledge, attitude and subjective norms affect green buying

behavior, and as such, these formulations have descriptive features and are well suited for

quantitative studies (Bjereld et al., 2018). Furthermore, the aim of this thesis was to gain new

insight in an area by identifying and exploring patterns within the collected data. Hence, this

thesis intended to explore a field of research with deductive reasoning, which also argues for

descriptive research (David & Sutton, 2011).

3.2 Research Approach

The approach of this thesis was deductive, as the thesis was built upon a foundation consisting

of essential theories and previous research. The researcher thus formulates one or more

hypotheses that are exposed to empirical scrutiny (Bryman & Bell, 2015). The research

approach for gathering the data in this thesis was through quantitative methods, which

emphasizes the quantification of the collected data. The characteristics of a quantitative

research approach are that it is deductive, scientific and objectivistic (Bryman & Bell, 2015;

David & Sutton, 2011).

A scientific model approach, more specifically models that are based on the positivistic

doctrine, are well associated with quantitative research approaches and has its foundation in a

scientific research ideal (Bryman & Bell, 2015). The positivistic doctrine is a philosophical

19

theory that strives for absolute knowledge in which scientific theories either can be confirmed

or rejected based on empirical material (Bryman & Bell, 2015).

Objectivism is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in 1943 and it expresses that reality exists

whether or not there is any consciousness. Furthermore, according to the doctrine, the reality is

unambiguous, and it exists outside of all minds (Rand, 1988). Humans are aware of an

independent reality through their sense perception, and the wit is essential to process this data

(Peikoff, 1993).

3.3 Literature Search

The search for relevant research and essential theories for this study began as soon as the idea

behind this thesis leaped to mind. Initially, the author explored whether there were any articles

that had been conducted with the same context as the initial idea. A few studies were found

with a similar approach, and these articles were guiding the author towards the starting point.

Thenceforward, did the author enter a world full of theories and interlinked models that directed

her towards the conceptual framework that would represent the relationship between the

theories that were presented throughout the literature review.

The literature search had been conducted through the databases Google Scholar, Academic

Search Premier, EBSCOhost and ScienceDirect Journals. The scientific articles retrieved were

found through keywords that were both searched individually and through different

combinations, these were green marketing, ecolabelling, attitude marketing, consumer

behavior, green buying behavior, theory of reasoned action, tri-component attitude model,

sustainable consumption, green products and green washing. Furthermore, all articles in the

literature review were peer-reviewed, but some of the scientific articles that were used in the

introduction to present studies that have been conducted in Sweden were relatively new and

had not yet been peer-reviewed.

This thesis was also based on information gathered from other sources, such as from books and

the internet. The used books had acknowledged authors and have also been used in other

scientific articles and studies and were therefore perceived as trustworthy. The sources used

from the web were solely to present statistical data that were retrieved from authorities and

organizations.

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3.4 Data Collection

Primary data was employed for this thesis, which was collected through a questionnaire, hence

considered as primary data (David & Sutton, 2011). There are various ways of collecting data,

and using a questionnaire is regarded as cross-sectional survey design (Bryman & Bell, 2015).

The data was collected through a questionnaire which includes measurement items for several

variables, with the purpose primarily being to receive a collection of observations measuring

these variables and to analyze whether there exists any patterns in the data observations

(Bryman & Bell, 2015).

The actual process of collecting the data can be done through several ways, including through

the internet. For this thesis, the questionnaire was compiled through the online survey tool

Google Forms, and the respondents were contacted through an email posting to students at

Luleå University of Technology. The questionnaire was also shared on the researcher’s social

networking sites (SNS), Facebook and LinkedIn. Using an email posting as a survey

distribution channel enables a wide target reach during a short period of time. Additionally, due

to the purpose of the research and the limited amount of time, this was the most optimal method.

A drawback of this method is that it might result in possible loss of potential respondents as

they might choose to not participate, but the possibility to reach out to several individuals at the

same time might balance it out.

There are some ethical considerations that were taken into account with the design of the

questionnaire. The matter of confidentiality and anonymity were discussed. As the researcher

was the one designing the questionnaire outline, it was of great importance to make sure that

no one except the researcher herself could see the answers of each respondent. The tool, Google

Forms, enabled the fulfillment of this requirement. Anonymity when answering the questions

was also possible, as Google Forms has a function which enables the survey answers to be

gathered without gathering any personal data from the respondent. The only personal data that

was collected, related to general demographic, geographic, and behavioral questions, such as

age, gender, city nationality, occupation and money spent on groceries/ecolabelled food. These

questions are considered as non-sensitive data (David & Sutton, 2011).

21

The survey outlines that the respondents would be anonymous, and their answers would not be

available for others to see. To inform the respondents about this, all the potential respondents

were provided information about their anonymity. They were also informed about the research

purpose and aim. They were further informed that their participation was voluntary, and they

had to consent to participating before continuing with the questionnaire. The information and

questions were written in English, in a simple and clear language. The reason for it being

English and not in Swedish is because the questionnaire and the adopted measurement items

were formulated in English. Hence, the decision was to base the whole questionnaire on the

English language. According to European Commission (2012), 86% of the Swedish population

are able to speak English on a sufficient level, and as the questionnaire was designed with an

easy and clear English, there is no belief that any language barriers would occur.

3.4.1 The Questionnaire

The questionnaire was designed with two sections, the first section included general

demographic, geographic, and behavioral questions, whilst the second section included

questions with measurements items that were acquired from an earlier research study, see

Appendix 1. The first section included personal questions about the respondent, with questions

about age, gender, nationality, city, occupation, how much money they you usually spend on

groceries per month and how much money they believe that they spend on ecolabelled food per

month. These were formed as close ended and non-leading questions and were based on both

nominal and ordinal scales depending on questions. The questions that were based on a nominal

scale were asking about gender, nationality and city. The question concerning nationality was

asked to avoid eventual bias. As the purpose of the study was to examine the Swedish

consumers, individuals with another nationality were therefore not of interest and the

categorical question enabled it to exclude these respondents. There was an interest in which

city the respondent lives in, because that enabled the researcher to understand whether the

respondents live in different places in Sweden, or if they are clustered in a certain geographical

area. This is of importance to assess whether the respondents are clustered in certain areas, if

so is the case, the collected data might not represent the Swedish consumers in its entirety.

22

The second section included questions about the respondent’s knowledge, attitude, subjective

norms and buying behavior of ecolabelled products. Consequently, and in accordance with the

research purpose, the buying behavior represented the dependent variable. These questions

were also formulated as closed questions and as non-leading, both to ensure high credibility but

foremost as the questions were to be coded for statistical purposes (Bryman & Bell, 2015).

Furthermore, all of the questions in the second section were based on a 5-point Likert scale,

they were formed with statements and had a standard set of answers. These questions were

adopted from a previous study conducted by Singh and Verma (2017), see Table 1. However,

they were modified and selected to fit the purpose of this study. The questions that represented

the independent variables were those concerning knowledge, attitude and subjective norms. The

questionnaire ended with three questions concerning the buying behavior and one for buying

intention. The three questions were adopted from Singh and Verma (2017) and the last was

developed by the researcher.

Table 1

Adopted variables

Research area Variable Adopted

Questions

Questions in

Questionnaire

Adopted From

Knowledge Independent 3 9-11 (Singh & Verma,

2017)

Attitude Independent 3 12-14 (Singh & Verma,

2017)

Subjective Norms Independent 3 15-17 (Singh & Verma,

2017)

Buying Behavior Dependent 3 18-20 (Singh & Verma,

2017)

Buying Intention Dependent 1 21 Researcher

23

3.5 Sample Selection

There are two types of sampling techniques, the probability sampling and non-probability

sampling (David & Sutton, 2011). The probability sampling has its foundation in that everyone

in a larger population has the same probability of being selected. Whereas the non-probability

sampling is when a subset of the population is selected to be representing the whole population.

Non-probability sampling gives a more distorted representation of the population as each

individual does not have the chance to be included, but it is a very effective method in terms of

efficiency and costs (David & Sutton, 2011).

The non-probability sampling, more specifically convenience sampling, was most accurate for

this research, as it was the easiest and quickest way to gain a high number of respondents. The

respondents were contacted through the students’ emails connected to the Luleå University of

Technology, and they were contacted through an already harvested email base. Furthermore,

the respondents were also contacted through the researchers SNS platforms Facebook and

LinkedIn. Issues with this is that the potential respondent who might have come in contact with

the questionnaire, might choose to not participate.

This method was a bit problematic as there were no guidelines regarding how big the sample

should be. However, when nothing is known about the population except the size of it, one can

determine a sample size with assistance of Slovin’s formula, see below (Talukder et al., 2016).

Initially, the confidence level was determined to be 92%, giving a margin error of 10%. This

indicates that there is an 8% chance of being wrong when drawing conclusions about the

Swedish population. Additionally, the Swedish population had to be further determined.

According to Statistiska Centralbyrån (2020), the Swedish population 18 years or older, was

8.189.892 million in 2020. These figures were those taken into regard when calculating the

sample size. The results equaled 156 persons, which is the number of respondents acquired in

order to represent the Swedish consumers at a 92% confidence level. The final number of

respondents amounted to 175, in which only 158 of these were usable, as 17 of these did not

have Swedish nationality.

Slovin’s Formula: n = N / (1 + N*e2 )

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Furthermore, generalizing this data might seem impossible if there is no information regarding

who this sample group truly represents. As the respondents were available through Luleå

University of Technology and through SNS channels, there is no certainty that they represent

the Swedish population in its entirety. To ensure whether the respondents were clustered in a

certain city or not, as mentioned, a question regarding which city they live in was formed in the

questionnaire, which enables it to conclude whether the data is generalized or not. The

respondents were from 20 different Swedish cities, in which a majority lived in Stockholm,

Luleå and Gothenburg, hence could it therefore be argued to be considered as generalized.

3.6 Data Analysis

The data was analyzed with the help of the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS)

version 25.0. One should, with a statistical tool, be able to test the hypotheses with assistance

from the analysis of the collected data (Bryman & Bell, 2015). The data was analyzed with

inferential statistics through various techniques. The technique used to analyze the collected

data was Multiple Linear Regression.

The Multiple Linear Regression enables it to estimate whether there is any relationship between

the dependent variable and two or more independent variables (David & Sutton, 2011). It also

measures if there is any statistical difference between them at a certain significance level

(Moore et al., 2017). The method gave a sufficient foundation for the hypotheses testing, as the

hypotheses could be answered with assistance from the obtained data. The retrieved data that

was taken into account was descriptive statistics, significance, correlations, and model

summary. These results gave a solid foundation for answering the research questions. The

remaining retrieved data from the Multiple Linear Regression was inserted in Appendix 2.

3.7 Credibility

Validity and reliability are two quality criteria that need to be taken into consideration when

ensuring that a method has high credibility (David & Sutton, 2011). Theoretical validity

concerns whether the measurement tool really measures what it is indented to do (David &

Sutton, 2011). It can be a rather complex matter to analyze as validity can be broken down into

Calculation: n = 8.189.892 / (1 + 8.189.892*0.082 ) ≈ 156

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various subdivisions. Reliability concerns whether the results from the data collection would

result in being the same if one would proceed with the exact same procedure once again. The

purpose of reliability is to understand if measurements are consistent or temporary (Bryman &

Bell, 2015). So, validity is to measure what is indented right, and reliability refers to doing it in

the right way (David & Sutton, 2011).

3.7.1 Validity

High validity for this thesis was ensured through different means. Face validity is a means

which aims to explore, with the help of experts, whether the measurement is reflected by the

purpose of the research (Bryman & Bell, 2015). It was acquired through consulting with the

supervisor that has expertise in the field of marketing and several publications within the

research area as well. Hence, are the face validity considered as high.

The validity was further increased by considering the construct validity, which demonstrates

whether the method was measuring what it was intended to, with reference to the research

purpose (Bryman & Bell, 2015). It can be rather challenging to ensure that a study has high

construct credibility, as the researcher’s subjectivity could influence the study. To avoid this,

the researcher had clearly defined each area that was intended to be measured, attitude,

knowledge and subjective norms. Additionally, to ensure that the measurement actually was

measuring each of these factors, the items had been adopted from a publication by

acknowledged researchers and had therefore been previously validated.

Additionally, convergent validity and discrimination validity are two subtypes of construct

validity that functions together. Through this means one can assure, with assistance from the

collected data, that there is high construct validity. The convergent validity refers to that one

can show, through the data, that the measures that theoretically are related are so in the actuality

as well. Whereas the discrimination validity is intended to show what theoretically are not

related, is not so in the actuality either (Bryman & Bell, 2015).

The construct validation was measured through the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test, which

ensures whether the variables are measuring the concept that it is intended to measure (Williams

et al., 2010). The closer to 1 the KMO test is, the higher validity has the measures. As seen in

Table 2, the KMO was 0.863 which is considered as high (Bryman & Bell, 2015). Bartlett’s

26

test of sphericity was also measured as it tests whether the variances across samples are equal.

Significance levels below 0.05 indicates that there are equal variances, and that the data is

suitable for conducting statistical analyses (Williams et al., 2010). The significance level was

p < 0.05 (p = 0.001), and the data is therefore considered suitable.

Table 2

KMO and Bartlett’s Test

3.7.2 Reliability

Reliability refers to a measure’s consistency, conformity and trustworthiness, and there are

three important factors that must be considered when one is to suppose that a measurement has

high reliability (Bryman & Bell, 2015). These factors are test-retest reliability, internal

consistency and interrater reliability. The latter mentioned factor was not considered either, due

to it being too comprehensive as well.

Test-retest reliability refers to what extent that the construct of the measure and its outcome is

consistent over time. It means that a group of respondents proceeds with the questionnaire twice

on different occasions, in order to be able to analyze whether their answers are consistent. If

the reliability is high, the answers should between each occasion indicate that there exists a

correlation. If there is not any correlation, it indicates that the respondents’ answers are not

reliable. Due to the time frame, there was no possibility to examine whether the test-retest

reliability was high. Furthermore, it is a rather complex measure of reliability as the

respondents’ answers from the first occasion might affect the answers on the second approach.

Additionally, external circumstances might affect the respondents view of ecolabels between

the two occasions of answering the questionnaire, which also might affect the correlation.

The internal consistency refers to the measurements item’s reliability, and a good questionnaire

has high internal consistency, meaning that the items measuring the same construct such as

27

attitude or subjective norms should yield similar answers. As if the respondents are answering

differently on similar constructed questions, it indicates that the questions might be deficiently

formulated (Bryman & Bell, 2015). As earlier mentioned, the questions were adopted from

previous studies but to increase the reliability of this study the item was still measured with the

assistance of Cronbach’s alpha, seen in Table 3. This was also done as the researcher added a

measurement item that measures the buying intention, which was combined with the questions

measuring buying behavior.

Table 3

Cronbach’s Alpha Test

The Cronbach’s alpha is a statistical measure that measures the internal consistency, the alpha

coefficient results with a number between 0 and 1, and it increases if the items that measure a

construct correlate. As a general principle the alpha coefficient should be 0.7 or above for it to

indicate that the internal consistency is high (Bryman & Bell, 2015). As seen in the table above,

the internal consistency was high for the attitude, subjective norms and buying behavior

variables. However, the alpha coefficient was not 0.7 or above for the knowledge variable. This

indicates that the questions concerning knowledge did not have high internal consistency.

Knowledge as a variable was however retained, as a Chronbach's alpha value of 0.69 is

acceptable for instrument reliability when the measurement scale consists of limited items (Hair

et al., 2006). The overall reliability of the questionnaires’ design can be considered high, but

the knowledge questions could be further looked into (David & Sutton, 2011).

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4. Data Analysis

This chapter presents the empirical data retrieved from the multiple linear regression, which

will be further presented. This data will enable it to answer the hypotheses and research

questions. This chapter will further present empirical analyses of the data, that will include

discussions based on earlier presented theories and the empirical data. Initially, will the sample

be analyzed and discussed. Henceforth, will this chapter be finished with an analysis of the

relationship between the dependent variable and each independent variable.

4.1 Analysis of Sample

Table 4 illustrates the demographic features of the 158 responses from the questionnaire. The

total number of respondents was 175 and 17 of these were not applicable as they had a different

nationality than Swedish. The results indicate that 66.5% of the respondents were females and

33.5% males, indicating that this study might not be as representative for Swedish male

consumers as it is for Swedish female consumers. The majority of the respondents were under

30 years of age, followed by 40 years and older. The loss of respondents within the ages 30-39

years is also arguing for the data to appeal as more representative for younger consumers. Luleå,

Stockholm and Gothenburg were the three cities in which the majority of the respondents were

from, with most being from Luleå. Even though a majority of the respondents lived in Luleå or

Stockholm, the fact that the respondents were from 20 different cities is good as it indicates that

the respondents were not clustered in a specific city. Most of the respondents were students,

65.8% in total, whereas most of the remaining respondents were employees. Hence, might the

data not be representative for all age groups or consumers within all life stages. This, as students

tend to have lower income compared to employees and might therefore have no incentives to

buy green, as ecolabelled food tends to be pricey hence not appealing for students’ budgets.

The sample analysis illustrates that 81.7% of the respondents spend between 1000-3999kr on

groceries, and that 60.1% of the respondents further believe that they spend between 100-699kr

on ecolabelled food per month.

29

Table 4

Demographic Descriptions of Collected Data

30

4.2 Multiple Linear Regression

The following subsection presents data that is describing the relationship between the

dependent variable buying behavior and the independent variables knowledge, attitude and

subjective norms. The tables presented will include significance, correlations, descriptive

statistics variables and the model summary.

4.2.1 Analysis of Significances and Correlations

Table 5 illustrates the correlation coefficients between the dependent variable and independent

variables and the significance. The purpose of measuring correlations is to identify whether two

variables are linearly related, meaning that they have a statistical relationship (Moore et al.,

2017). For this thesis, the correlations play a significant role as the figures will create an

31

understanding that will enable the researcher to answer the hypotheses. The sig. (1-tailed)

illustrates whether the observed data reflects significance at a 98% confidence interval. Hence

must p < 0.02 if there are to exist a statistically significant relationship between the dependent

variable and independent variables.

It is observed that the p-value was 0.001 between each independent and dependent variable.

This indicates that there exists a correlation that is statistically significant between them and

that all hypotheses can be confirmed, see Table 6. Hence, does this imply that there is a

relationship between knowledge, attitude, subjective norms and buying behavior, as it is

unlikely that these figures would have occurred if it was the opposite. All hypotheses can

Table 6

Deduction of Hypotheses

32

therefore be confirmed, a positive relationship between the independent and dependent

variables exist.

Table 5 further illustrates retrieved figures that represent Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (r).

The correlation between the variables knowledge and attitude and buying behavior indicates

that there is a medium positive correlation, as r is between 0.30 to 0.49 (Cohen, 1988). A

medium positive correlation indicates that knowledge, attitude and subjective norms are

positively associated with buying behavior of ecolabelled food, so when the independent

variable increases, so does the dependent variable. However, it must be noted that correlation

does not imply causation.

The deductions of the correlations are presented in Table 7. As there exists a medium positive

correlation of 0.471 between knowledge buying behavior, one can deduce that knowledge of

ecolabels has a positive relationship with the green buying behavior of ecolabelled food. It was

also shown that there exists a medium positive correlation of 0.471 between the variables

attitude and buying behavior. The data also presented that there exists a positive correlation of

0.528 between the subjective norms and buying behavior of ecolabelled food, indicating that

these variables have a positive relationship.

4.2.2 Analysis of Descriptive Statistics and Model Summary

Table 8 presents the descriptive data of the Swedish consumers’ knowledge, attitude, subjective

norms and their buying behavior towards ecolabels. The descriptive statistics describes the

mean, standard deviation and number of samples retrieved. As seen were the mean of the buying

behavior, on a 5-point Likert scale, 2.97 whereas the mean of the answers related to the

Table 7

Deduction of Correlations

33

knowledge were 3.91. The mean of the answers related to attitude were also 3.91, and the mean

of subjective norms resulted in being 2.55. The standard deviation representing the buying

behavior and subjective norms is high in relation to the mean and the 5-point Likert scale, it

therefore indicates that the answers had a high dispersion. The standard deviation obtained from

the set of values representing knowledge and attitude was lower, which in turn indicates that

there was a low dispersion of these observed values.

Knowledge

The data observed regarding the standard deviation of answers linked to knowledge indicates

that the respondents was mostly agreeing with the statements. There were sufficient knowledge

of being familiar with what ecolabelled food is and knowing that the food is organic and

environmentally friendly. Thus, can it be assumed that the respondents possess knowledge

about ecolabelled food.

According to Asiegbu et al. (2021) and Evans et al. (2009) consumers’ knowledge regarding a

certain attitude objects is linked to their buying behavior towards it, and as the knowledge

surrounding it was high one can assume It should be common for the consumers to actually buy

ecolabelled food. Evidently that is not the case for this instance, which is comprehensible as

there are various factors that may influence consumers buying behavior. Consumers may be

affected by extrinsic attributes such as price, and the amount of knowledge surrounding the

attitude object may therefore not matter (Peschel et al., 2016). However, it can still be deduced

that Swedish consumers’ knowledge and buying behavior of ecolabelled food have a positive

relationship.

Table 8

Descriptive Statistics

34

Attitude

The standard deviation linked to attitude indicates that the respondents’ answers were

fluctuating around the 4th point on a Likert scale. The respondents were mostly agreeing with

the statements and the dispersion was somewhat lower compared to the dispersion of the buying

behavior.

The buying decisions that consumers are making are a direct response of their attitude toward

the object, and the attitude itself is shaped by various aspects (Asiegbu et al., 2012; Litvin &

MacLaurin, 2001; Katona, 1967; Wild & Wild, 2020). If consumers tend to have a positive

attitude toward ecolabelled food, their willingness to buy the product increases (Sharma et al.,

2013). As seen through the observed values, the respondents had a low dispersion in their

answers regarding attitude and were mostly agreeing with the statements, hence can one assume

that they respondents predominantly had a neutral or positive attitude towards ecolabels.

As the respondents mainly had a positive attitude towards ecolabelled food, the correlation

between buying behavior and attitude could be expected to be higher than 0.471. However,

there are various aspects that must be considered when analyzing this data and one of them is

the sample. As earlier mentioned, 65.8% of the respondents were students and an accepted fact

is that students, as a whole, tend to have lower income compared to employees. Even though

the respondents had a positive attitude towards ecolabelled food, the prices, for instance, might

be inhibiting them from buying ecolabelled food as it is more expensive compared to

conventional ones (Peschel at al., 2016). Despite this, it can still be deduced that Swedish

consumers’ attitude and buying behavior of ecolabelled food have a positive relationship.

Subjective Norms

The data presenting the mean and standard deviation of answers linked to subjective norms

indicates that the respondents’ answers fluctuated around the 2nd point of a Likert scale and

had a somewhat high amount of dispersion, more precisely 0.99. Hence, the respondents were

mostly disagreeing with the statements. It also indicates that the respondents’ answers were

similar throughout the questions concerning subjective norms.

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When analyzing the results, it is shown that the Swedish consumers are not subject to subjective

norms concerning the consumption of ecolabelled food. One can therefore conclude that

Swedish young consumers’ environmentally friendly behavior, in terms of buying ecolabelled

food, is not influenced by significant others. Normative pressure seems not to exist according

to how the respondents answered the statements. Even though the environmental concerns

among the population in Sweden are growing (Ekholm, 2020; Gustafsson & Hultmann, 2020;

Hallgren, 2017; Åslund & Dahlgren, 2019), the subjective norms regarding consumption of

ecolabelled food seems not to be influenced by it. However, it can still be deduced that Swedish

consumers’ subjective norms and buying behavior of ecolabelled food have a positive

relationship. But as shown in the results, neither of these variables corresponding statements in

the questionnaire had a high number of agreements.

Model Summary

The model summary, Table 9, presents information retrieved from the observed values that

concern the coefficient of correlation and determination. The correlation, denoted by R,

measures the amount of linear association between two variables, as per above (Moore et al.,

2017). The R-squared value, denoted by R2, is the square of the correlation. It measures the

proportion of variation in the dependent variable that can be attributed to the independent

variable.

As seen in Table 9, R resulted as 0.585 which indicates that these independent variables had a

positive influence on the Swedish consumers buying behavior towards ecolabelled food. The R-

squared value, the coefficient of determination, resulted as 0.342. This indicates that 34.2% of

the variation in buying behavior towards ecolabelled food is explained by knowledge, attitude

and subjective norms.

Table 9

Model Summary

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6. Findings and Conclusions

This chapter summarizes the results and presents the conclusions. The purpose of this thesis

was to understand if knowledge, attitude and subjective norms influenced Swedish consumers’

green buying behavior. The three research questions posed in the first chapter will be further

discussed and answered. In addition, implications and limitations will be presented in the final

of this chapter.

6.1 Research Questions

The research questions were developed in accordance with the purpose of this thesis. Which

was to understand if factors such as knowledge, attitude and subjective norms influences

Swedish consumers’ green buying behavior of ecolabelled food. The aim was to enable a

greater understanding, which could be beneficial for business as they get to understand

consumers’ behavior. This information can hopefully be further taken into account when

developing green marketing strategies for ecolabelled foods.

RQ1. How does the Swedish consumers’ knowledge about

ecolabels influence their green buying behavior?

This study has shown a positive relationship exists between consumers’ knowledge about

ecolabelled food and their buying behavior towards it. However, the respondents had a high

amount of knowledge regarding ecolabelled food, but it was not as reflected in their

consumption of it. For businesses using ecolabels as a marketing tool, this might be useful

information as it enables them to reconsider their marketing approaches, and to ask themselves:

Consumers seem to have knowledge about ecolabelled food, is this information anything we

need to take into account when developing our marketing strategy?.

RQ2. How does the attitude towards ecolabels influence the Swedish

consumers’ green buying behavior?

A positive relationship between attitude towards ecolabelled food and the buying behavior

among Swedish consumers exists. In this case, just as in the case of the variable representing

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knowledge, the statements representing attitude towards ecolabelled food was mostly agreed

with, by the respondents. All statements concerning knowledge and attitude had a majority of

answers that corresponded agreement. Yet, the buying behavior of ecolabelled food was not

that high. So, Swedish consumers do have a positive attitude and sufficient knowledge about

ecolabelled food and its purpose. But despite the high amount of knowledge and levels of

attitude, it seems like Swedish consumers still do not have enough incentives to buy ecolabelled

products. But to answer the second research question, attitude and Swedish green buying

behavior have a positive relationship.

RQ3. How do subjective norms regarding ecolabels influence

Swedish consumers’ green buying behavior?

The Swedish consumers’ subjective norms and buying behavior towards ecolabelled food had

the strongest relationship compared to knowledge and attitude. However, it is shown that the

Swedish consumers are not subject to subjective norms regarding consuming ecolabelled food.

Therefore, it seems as subjective norms do not influence Swedish consumers’ green buying

behavior towards ecolabelled food.

6.2 General Conclusions

Companies implementing green marketing strategies do it for various reasons, it may be due

to wanting to increase value propositions, improving resource efficiency or gaining competitive

advantages (Kotler, 2011; Rezai et al., 2013; Solaiman et al., 2015). For companies producing

green products, they have a custom base demanding it, and they are consuming these products

most often for environmental purposes (Soon & Kong, 2012). There are several factors linked

to consumer buying behavior, and three of them all are knowledge, attitude and subjective

norms.

Regarding the stated hypotheses, they all were statistically significant and could therefore be

confirmed. These findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between the independent

variables and dependent variable. The Swedish consumers’ subjective knowledge about

ecolabelled food resulted in being relatively high with accordance to the retrieved data form the

questionnaire. Previous studies have found that subjective knowledge has great influence on

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consumers’ environmental behavior and buying decisions (Brucks, 1985; Peschel, 2016).

Knowledge does also affect the consumers cognitive attitude, which is one of the three

components that composes attitude as a whole (Asiegbu et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2009). Hence

does not only knowledge influence the buying behavior, but also the attitude. In this study, it

was shown that, despite the high amount of knowledge about ecolabelled food, the incentives

to buy ecolabelled food was still quite low. For Swedish businesses, gaining information about

Swedish consumers’ knowledge surrounding a product segment might be of interest when

developing prospective marketing strategies.

Previous theories and constructs state that attitude is strongly linked to consumers’ buying

behavior, but it did not give any indications of it in this study. As attitude is influencing both

the third and fourth phase in the buying decision process, it can be of essence to understand

that for some reasons, the positive attitude towards ecolabelled food among Swedish

consumers is still not enough of a reason for them to proceed with buying it. According to

Sharma et al. (2013), if one does understand the consumers’ attitude towards ecolabelled food,

one can predict their willingness to buy it. If one solely analyzes the data retrieved surrounding

the attitude, one will argue, with relation to the study conducted by Sharma et al. (2013), that

the predicted willingness to buy the products may be somewhat high. This, as the positive

attitude towards ecolabelled was relatively high, but it seems to not be the case for this study.

Given this, it is shown that attitude is a factor that does not influence Swedish consumers actual

buying behavior of ecolabelled food.

Swedish consumers being influenced by each other when it comes to consuming ecolabelled

food seem to not be an actuality. There could be various reasons to why, such as individuals

being green in other ways than by buying ecolabelled food, perhaps by buying food that are

locally produced instead or by avoiding meat. Hence, Swedish individuals might perceive what

green buying behavior is differently. So, even though growing environmental concerns are

palpable among the Swedish population (Ekholm, 2020; Gustafsson & Hultmann, 2020;

Hallgren, 2017), it seems as they are not subject to social subjective norms of buying

ecolabelled food. If subjective norms concerning ecolabelled food was an actuality it would,

according to Ajzen (2002), influence the Swedish consumers buying behavior of it. As it is not

an actuality it should be the opposite, which in this case, it is.

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In conclusion, the high levels of knowledge and the positive attitude towards ecolabelled food

seems not to influence the green buying behavior among Swedish consumers. Even though

theories are arguing for that it should influence it. Subjective norms were not common among

the Swedish population, and that was reflected in their buying behavior of ecolabelled food.

As this thesis only studied the relationship between the independent variables and dependent

variable, it may have left out other variables that could be worth looking into. For example,

extrinsic attributes such as prices of ecolabelled food, that might affect the answers of

respondents that are younger, students or with lower income. However, this study has still

contributed with information concerning Swedish consumers buying behavior of ecolabelled

food that might be worth looking more into.

6.3 Theoretical implications

The purpose of this thesis was to gain an understanding if the variables knowledge, attitudes

and subjective norms influences Swedish consumers’ green buying behavior towards

ecolabelled food. As there were no similar studies conducted on a Swedish basis, this study has

contributed with new insight about the Swedish consumers’ buying behavior towards

ecolabelled food.

The study has showed that knowledge has a positive relationship with buying behavior toward

ecolabelled food among Swedish consumers, which is aligned to previous research stating that

knowledge have a positive influence on buying behavior (Delafrooz et al., 2014; Hossain &

Lim, 2016; Thøgersen, 2010). However, the Swedish consumers’ buying behavior was not as

high as one would assume it to be, with reference to their high levels of knowledge. In

accordance with Peschel et al. (2016), the consumers might be affected by extrinsic attributes

that influences their buying behavior towards ecolabelled food. But more studies would need

to be conducted in order to understand why.

The study has further shown that attitude and buying behavior towards ecolabelled food among

Swedish consumers have a positive correlation between each other. These results confirm what

previous research has found, that buying decisions tend to be influenced by attitudes.

(Schwepker & Cornwell, 1991; Sharma et al., 2013). However, it was also found that the buying

behavior of ecolabelled food was not that common, even though the Swedish consumers had a

40

positive attitude towards it. Without analyzing this further, one will not understand why

Swedish consumers have a lower interest in consuming ecolabelled food. But this knowledge

has contributed to the understanding that, despite positive attitudes towards ecolabelled food,

Swedish consumers tend to not involve this segment of products in their buying decisions.

Lastly, this study has confirmed that existing subjective norms do not have an impact on

Swedish consumers’ intention to purchase ecolabelled food. However, it was confirmed that

these two variables had a positive correlation, which indicates that when subjective norms

increase, so does the buying behavior. But all in all, subjective norms regarding ecolabelled

food are not common among the Swedish population.

The theoretical contribution is therefore that knowledge and attitude toward ecolabelled food

does not have a great influence on Swedish consumers’ green buying behavior. Also, that

Swedish consumers are not subjects of subjective norms regarding ecolabelled food. This

contribution of knowledge has enabled it to begin with filling the gap of limited research within

this area in the context of Swedish consumers, which can be linked to the gap of this thesis.

6.4 Managerial Implications

This study has contributed with knowledge for Swedish businesses that are producing organic

food and are ecolabelling them. This information has given them insight in that Swedish

consumers’ have sufficient knowledge and a positive attitude towards their products. The

results suggest that there are positive relationships between the attitude, knowledge, subjective

norms and buying behavior. However, it was also suggested that the buying behavior of these

products was low in relation to the high levels of knowledge and positive attitude.

In conclusion, the managerial implications that this study has contributed with is that marketers

can be guided by this information when developing their marketing strategies. Perhaps by

decreasing the amount of information linked to increasing consumers’ knowledge in their

marketing campaigns or such, as Swedish consumers evidently already possess high knowledge

about ecolabelled food.

41

6.5 Limitations of Research

This thesis is subject to some limitations that should be noted. Firstly, as 65.8% of the

respondents answering the questionnaire were students the representativeness for “Swedish

consumers” can be questioned. As a major part were students, the data and results are more

representative for the Swedish students compared to Swedish consumers. The demographic

variable occupation in this thesis can therefore be seen as a restraint. A larger sample might

have prevented a majority of students answering the questionnaire, and more time would enable

it to gain more respondents.

Due to the limited time frame, the decision of excluding analyses of the demographic variables

in relation to the dependent variable buying behavior was made. This led to an exclusion of

relevant data that could have given information about buying behavior patterns of ecolabelled

food among ages, gender and occupation. Knowing this information could have given this study

a holistic view of the obtained data.

The reliability of the questions concerning knowledge should also be further questioned, as the

level of Cronbach’s alpha resulted as below 0.7, more specifically 0.69. This decreases the

reliability of the study, which could have been prevented by an increased sample size. However,

the researcher chose to include the questions about knowledge anyway as 0.69 is accepted in

literature due to it consisting of few measurement items, but it should be further examined (Hair

et al., 2006).

6.6 Future Research Suggestions

Upon the findings of this study, there are some future research suggestions. Further research

with focus on a sample that is representative for the whole Swedish population is suggested.

One could do so by increasing the sample size or by conducting this study with an even

distribution among, for instance, ages or occupations in order to obtain more representative

results.

As of writing this thesis in a pandemic, the decision of conducting this thesis with a quantitative

approach was most suitable. But conducting a qualitative study would enable it to get a more

in-depth overview of Swedish consumers’ buying behavior of ecolabelled food. This could be

42

done through focus groups or in-depth interviews. One could also study the buying behaviors

in-store, as one would obtain data of actual buying behavior. Hence, is it suggested to conduct

a study based on both a quantitative and qualitative approach in the future. Which would enable

one to gain a greater understanding and a holistic view of the relationship between knowledge,

attitude and subjective norms and buying behavior.

As the respondents had high levels of knowledge and a positive attitude towards ecolabelled

food but still not purchased it, one could investigate whether there is any reason to why. As of

right now, there is no information on a Swedish basis that can explain why knowledge and

attitude, that both have a great influence on buying behaviors according to theories, are not

“enough” for Swedish consumers to buy ecolabelled food. One could investigate this by

perhaps adding the factor price or by analyzing further between demographic variables.

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Appendix 1. Survey Questionnaire

Buying Behavior Towards Ecolabels

Form of consent You are being invited to participate in a research study titled "Are Ecolabels Attractive Enough?". This study is being done by Emilia Klintebjer Brecelj, studying Business Administration and Economics at Luleå University of Technology.

The purpose of this research study is to understand how Swedish consumers’ attitude towards ecolabels impact their green buying behavior. The aim is to better understand green consumer behavior when developing prospective green marketing strategies. I If you would like to participate in this study, please complete the anonymous questionnaire.

The questionnaire consists of 25 questions, in which approximately take 3-5 minutes to complete. The results of this survey will only be used for the purposes of this study.

Please, do not hesitate to contact me at emibre-8@student.ltu.se if there are any questions

By clicking " I agree to the terms and conditions" below you are indicating that you are at least 18 years old, have read and understood this consent form and agrees to participate in this study.

1. *

I agree to the terms and conditions I disagree

In the following section, questions 2 to 8, please choose one answer which most accurately indicates

your level of agreement.

2. Age *

18 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39

≥ 40

51

3. Gender *

Female Male Other

4. Nationality *

Swedish Other

5. City*

Stockholm Gothenburg Malmö Uppsala Luleå ……

6. Occupation *

Student Employee Unemployed

7. How much money do you usually spend on

groceries per month? *

≤ 999kr 1000 - 1999kr 2000 - 2999kr 3000 - 3999kr

52

≥ 4000kr 8. How much money do you believe you spend on

ecolabeled food per month? *

≤ 99kr 100 - 399kr 400 - 699kr 700 - 999

≥ 1000kr

In the following section, questions 9 to 17, please choose one option which most accurately

reflects your opinion.

9. I am familiar with ecolabelled food *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

10. I know that ecolabelled food is organic *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

11. I know that ecolabelled food is environmentally friendly*

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

12. I believe ecolabelled food is very useful for a sustainable living *

1 2 3 4 5

53

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

13. Ecolabelled food have higher quality than conventional ones *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

14. I am convinced the consumption of ecolabelled food is good for the environment*

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

15. My close friends and family consume ecolabelled food *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

16. It is expected from me that I buy ecolabelled food *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

17. Many people persuade me that I should buy ecolabelled food in order to be

environmentally friendly *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

54

In the following section, questions 18 to 21, please choose one option which most accurately

reflects your behavior.

18. I have been a regular buyer of ecolabelled foods *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

19. I still buy ecolabelled food even though conventional alternatives are on discount*

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

20. I never mind paying premium price for ecolabelled food *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

21. I will, the next time I am in a supermarket or similar, buy food with ecolabels on

them *

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

55

Appendix 2. Multiple Linear Regression

Anova

Collinearity Diagnostics

Coefficientsa

56

Residual statisticsa

57

Histogram

Scatterplot