This study investigates the nuanced interplay between economic status and perceived buying intention toward energy-efficient appliances among university professors in India, a demographic characterized by high educational attainment and environmental awareness. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the research extends the traditional framework by integrating environmental concern and environmental knowledge are responsible for shaping consumers’ attitude, and by testing economic status as a moderating variable. Using a cross-sectional design and data from 300 respondents employed in higher education institutions, the study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the strength and significance of relationships among constructs. Contrary to conventional economic theory, the findings reveal that economic status does not significantly influence purchase intention, challenging the assumption that affordability is a primary barrier to green consumption. Instead, environmental concern and environmental knowledge emerge as dominant predictors of consumer attitude, which in turn strongly drives purchase intention (β = 0.694, p < 0.001). The moderation analysis further confirms that the interaction between economic status and attitude has an insignificant effect on purchase intention (β = -0.026, p = 0.864), suggesting that intrinsic motivation and environmental consciousness override the income-based constraints in this context. The study also uncovers that subjective norms and eco-label knowledge do not significantly shape consumer attitude, hinting at a latent skepticism or limited trust in external cues such as labelling and peer influence. This finding diverges from prior literature and raises questions about the efficacy of green marketing and labelling strategies in influencing educated consumers. Reliability and validity metrics—including high Cronbach’s alpha, AVE, and HTMT ratios—affirm the robustness of the measurement model, while R² values indicate that attitude explains nearly 60% of the variance in purchase intention. Practically, the research underscores the importance of fostering environmental knowledge and concern through targeted educational and policy interventions, rather than relying solely on economic incentives or labelling schemes. The results advocate for a shift in marketing and policy focus, from price subsidies to awareness campaigns and moral framing, to enhance adoption of energy-efficient technologies. The study also calls for a re-evaluation of demand-side assumptions in sustainability discourse, especially in contexts where consumers exhibit high intrinsic motivation. By isolating economic status as a non-significant moderator, this work contributes a critical perspective to the green consumer behavior literature and opens avenues for future research on behavioral segmentation, longitudinal analysis, and alternative indicators of economic capacity. It also offers actionable insights for policymakers and marketers aiming to accelerate India’s transition toward sustainable consumption, particularly within the educated and environmentally conscious segments of society.
Kumar et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: