ABSTRACT The given study makes a significant contribution to the study of renewable energy consumption behavior by incorporating environmental psychology and consumer behavior principles into the Stimulus‐Organism‐Response (SOR) theoretical framework. In contrast to the earlier studies which address environmental awareness or behavioral intention separately, the present study hypothesizes a new moderated sequential mediation model which elucidates the facilitative role of customized information (stimulus) increase in environmental awareness (organism) which consequently strengthens behavioral intention and leads to renewable energy consumption behavior (response). The theoretical integration expands on the SOR model by introducing moral obligation as a boundary condition that identifies the instances of customized messaging being more influential. The results show that personalized, localized, and culturally relevant information is more efficient in enhancing the environmental awareness of consumers, which subsequently is converted into behavioral intentions and behavior. Behavioral change cannot be accomplished solely through awareness; the mediating role of intention addresses the inconsistencies between environmental knowledge and action that have been reported previously. Additionally, the mediating effect of moral obligation adds more insight into the way ethical responsibility improves information processing and leads to proactive sustainable action. Practically, the evidence‐based results of this paper can be used by policymakers, energy companies, and sustainability activists to develop communication‐driven interventions in accordance with SDG‐12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) to hasten the process of adopting renewable energy through the use of individualized messages and ethical persuasion.
Zhang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.