ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AND THE INTENTION TO USE ECO-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES: AN ANALYSIS OF BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN MACAU.

Abstract

A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE BECOMING AWARE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT THAT OUR ACTIONS HAVE ON THE ENVIRONMENT. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT A KEY FACTOR LEADING TO THE ADOPTION OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE IS CONSUMERS’ HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN. INDEED, THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN (EC) CONSTRUCT IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PURCHASE OF SUSTAINABLE AND ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS IN LITERATURE. OUR STUDY CHALLENGES THIS ASSUMPTION. WE EXAMINED HOW THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR INFLUENCED THE BEHAVIORAL INTENTION OF MACAU RESIDENTS TO ADOPT BATTERY-ELECTRIC VEHICLE (BEV) TECHNOLOGY. FOR THIS PURPOSE, WE CONDUCTED A STUDY BASED ON THE UTAUT-2 FRAMEWORK AND USED STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING (SMARTPLS) TO ANALYZE THE DATA. AS A RESULT, THE CHOICE OF VEHICLES DID NOT DEPEND ON THE CONSUMERS’ LEVEL OF CONCERN. IT APPEARED THAT CONSUMERS STRONGLY PERCEIVED THE BENEFITS OF A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT, HOWEVER, WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ARE NICE TO HAVE, RATHER THAN THE PRIMARY INCENTIVE TO PURCHASE BEVS. RESEARCHERS SHOULD CONSIDER THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AS A BACKGROUND FACTOR IN TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODELS, RATHER THAN A DIRECT PREDICTOR OF BEHAVIOR. IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT MARKETERS CORRECTLY CONSIDER THIS ELEMENT WHEN DEVELOPING THEIR PRODUCT COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES, TO APPEAL TO THE DESIRED SEGMENT OF CUSTOMERS.