Retail investor attention: Guardian of corporate ESG integrity or catalyst for greenwashing?

This study explores the relationship between retail investor attention and corporate environment, society, and governance (ESG) greenwashing. We demonstrate that greater retail investor attention drives greenwashing behaviors. This is confirmed through robust empirical analyses, including alternative definitions of greenwashing and retail investor attention, controls for confounding variables, quantile regressions, and Oster analysis. To address endogeneity, we employ an exogenous shock—initiation of online interactions via the SSE and SZSE e-interaction platforms—and prove a causal link between increased retail investor attention and prevalence of greenwashing practices. Regarding the underlying mechanisms, retail investor attention enables corporations to increase ESG disclosures but not actual ESG performance, and this effect is stronger in companies with higher financial constraints and are less managerial forward-looking. Additionally, better corporate governance and more professional investor attention reduce the influence of retail investors. Finally, we find that firms engaged in greenwashing tend to temporarily improve their financial performance. This study not only sheds light on the dynamics of retail investors' influence on corporate behavior but also underscores the need for professional investors and accountable corporate governance to mitigate the tendency towards greenwashing. • Retail investor attention drives corporate ESG greenwashing. • Retail investor attention increases corporate disclosures more than real engagement. • Financially constrained firms and weak governance firms engage in more greenwashing. • Greenwashing temporarily enhances corporate financial performance.