Navigating the Digital Divide for Sustainability: Emotional and Cognitive Pathways to Food Waste Reduction Through Social Media Advertising

Congying Liu, Lupin Chen () and Muhammad Hassan Arshad
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Congying Liu: School of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Malaysia
Lupin Chen: College of International Law and Sociology, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing 400015, China
Muhammad Hassan Arshad: School of Business Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-23

Abstract: Applying behavioral reasoning theory, this study examines the effect of social media food waste advertising on consumers’ intention not to waste food, with customer–brand communal engagement and awareness of food waste consequences acting as mediators, and fast-food customers’ altruism as a moderator. Structural equation modeling was applied to data from 422 customers of Malaysian retail fast-food chains. The findings reveal that social media food waste advertising positively affects customers’ intentions not to waste food directly and indirectly through two mediators: awareness of food waste consequences and customer–brand communal engagement. The stronger mediator was awareness, and it indicated that cognitive factors play a greater role in pro-environmental behaviors than emotional ones. Additionally, this study demonstrates that customer altruism moderates the cognitive pathway but not the emotional pathway. The results of these findings suggest that social media campaigns should focus on both cognitive and emotional dimensions as well as personal value to maximize effectiveness. The findings have implications for fast-food chains to design more effective social media campaigns that promote food waste reduction as part of broader sustainability goals in the food industry.

Keywords: social media advertising; food waste reduction; customer behavior; retail fast-food chains; behavioral reasoning theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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