Purpose

This paper aims to test the relationship between millennials’ status motivation and their ecologically conscious consumer behavior (ECCB) and the mediating role of culture influencing this effect.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel of millennials was surveyed using established scales to measure their status motivation, cultural values and ECCB.

Findings

The findings demonstrate status motivation has a positive effect on millennials’ ECCB. The findings indicate that the cultural values of collectivism, power distance and masculinity mediate the relationship between status motivation and ECCB.

Research limitations/implications

This study looked at responses from one generation, millennials, in one country, the USA.

Practical implications

Status motivation can impact ECCB and cultural values mediate this relationship. Status motivation can directly impact ECCB, as well as work positively through the cultural values of collectivism and power distance and negatively through masculinity.

Social implications

The results suggest ECCB for status-motivated millennials is driven by both status motivation and their collectivism, power distance and masculinity. To encourage millennials’ ECCB, public policymakers and marketers should emphasize the social influences of sustainable behaviors and how these behaviors make them stand out from others who are not sustainable and target those who view women as equal to men.

Originality/value

This research examines how millennials’ status motivations impact their ecologically conscious behaviors both directly and through the mediating role of cultural values. This research contributes by answering the call for looking at the influence of cultural values on environmental behaviors. It offers a possible reason for the mixed findings previously in the literature regarding status and sustainability by illustrating status motivations may work both directly and through cultural values in influencing ECCB. Thus, it is one of the first studies to demonstrate culture’s mediating effect in the area of sustainability.

中文翻译：

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了解以地位为动机的千禧一代的生态意识行为

目的

本文旨在检验千禧一代的地位动机与其生态意识消费行为 (ECCB) 之间的关系，以及文化对该效应的中介作用。

设计/方法/方法

使用既定的量表对千禧一代进行了调查，以衡量他们的地位动机、文化价值观和 ECCB。

发现

调查结果表明，地位动机对千禧一代的 ECCB 有积极影响。研究结果表明，集体主义、权力距离和男子气概的文化价值观在地位动机和 ECCB 之间起到中介作用。

研究限制/影响

这项研究着眼于美国这一国家的一代人（千禧一代）的反应。

实际影响

地位动机会影响 ECCB，而文化价值观会调节这种关系。地位动机可以直接影响 ECCB，并通过集体主义和权力距离的文化价值观积极工作，并通过男性气质消极工作。

社会影响

结果表明，受地位驱动的千禧一代的 ECCB 受到地位动机及其集体主义、权力距离和男性气质的驱动。为了鼓励千禧一代的 ECCB，公共政策制定者和营销人员应强调可持续行为的社会影响，以及这些行为如何使他们从不可持续的其他人中脱颖而出，并针对那些认为男女平等的人。

原创性/价值

本研究考察了千禧一代的地位动机如何直接或通过文化价值观的中介作用影响他们的生态意识行为。这项研究有助于响应关注文化价值观对环境行为影响的呼吁。它通过说明地位动机可能直接或通过文化价值观影响 ECCB，为之前文献中关于地位和可持续性的混合发现提供了一个可能的原因。因此，它是最早证明文化在可持续性领域中的中介作用的研究之一。