Emotional Factors in the Consumption of Pro‐Environmental Foods: Keys to Reducing the Attitude–Behaviour Gap

Sergio Valdelomar‐Muñoz and Eva María Murgado‐Armenteros

Business Strategy and the Environment, 2026, vol. 35, issue 3, 4444-4458

Abstract: Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their decisions, which suggests a greater inclination towards responsible consumption. However, scientific evidence shows a significant discrepancy between this favourable attitude and final purchasing decisions. This study examines the role that emotions play throughout the pro‐environmental purchasing decision process. For this, a CAWI study was undertaken in five European countries. A total of 4000 valid responses were received, and, after identifying 75 outliers, 3925 responses were analysed using the structural equations modelling technique. The results highlight that positive emotions have a stronger influence on attitude, whereas negative emotions play a key role in turning intentions into behaviours. In addition, through a multigroup analysis, significant differences were found by country. This demonstrates the complexity of the process and the barrier that the attitude–behaviour gap represents. In general terms, understanding how emotions can influence purchasing behaviour throughout the decision‐making process could be the key to companies and policymakers being able to design experiential marketing actions and effective communication messages, depending on whether the objective is to modify consumers' attitudes or influence them at more advanced stages of the purchasing process.

Date: 2026
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