The Path to the Green Side: The effect of resource scarcity on green consumption and the moderating roles of price and shopping setting

Green consumption is more important than ever, but when you do not have a lot of money or time on your hands, consuming sustainably is not always easy. This thesis addresses this issue by examining the relation between resource scarcity and green consumption. Previous scholars have shown that resource scarcity leads to green consumption when green products are relatively inexpensive, but others found that green consumption increases when green products are in fact more expensive, as long as the shopping takes place in public. This thesis posits that resource scarcity leads to green consumption unless the price is relatively expensive and that this effect of price reverses in a public shopping setting. Using data collected via an online survey, no significant effect of resource scarcity on green consumption, nor interactions between scarcity, price and shopping setting were found. However, price and shopping setting were found to have direct effects on green consumption. Although the initial hypotheses do not hold, the findings offer interesting theoretical and practical insights.