Religiosity, idealism, and ethical consumption: the mediating effect of perceived customer effectiveness and moral obligation
ISSN: 2042-6763
Article publication date: 6 November 2020
Issue publication date: 12 February 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The cognitive processes through which religiosity and idealism affect ethical consumption have received little attention in prior research. This study aims to explore the influence of religiosity and idealism on ethical purchasing intention through moral obligation and perceived customer effectiveness (PCE).
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyses data from 149 Muslim participants in Saudi Arabia, using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results reveal that religiosity leads to PCE but not to moral obligation and that idealism leads to both PCE and moral obligation. Mediation analysis indicated that PCE mediates the effect of both religiosity and idealism, although moral obligation only mediates the effect of idealism.
Research limitations/implications
This research enriches the understanding of ethical consumption and contributes to the debate on how religiosity and idealism affect ethical consumption. It also has significant implications for theory and the development of sustainable marketing initiatives. Marketing campaigns and other promotional activities may focus on the interconnection between ethical purchase and the religious and ideology dimensions of consumers. Also, while formulating a communication strategy, it is necessary to emphasize the religious dimension of the sustainable use of the product.
Originality/value
Moral obligation and PCE have been shown as cognitive and psychological mechanisms explaining the links between religiosity or idealism and ethical purchasing behaviour.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research, University of Hafr Al Batin for funding this work through the research group project No: G119-2020.
Funding: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This research is supported by Deanship of Scientific Research, University of Hafr Al Batin (Grant No: G119-2020).
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Citation
Alsaad, A., Saif-Alyousfi, A.Y.H. and Elrehail, H. (2021), "Religiosity, idealism, and ethical consumption: the mediating effect of perceived customer effectiveness and moral obligation", Journal of Social Marketing, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 25-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-07-2020-0116
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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