Bridging the Attitude-Behavior Gap: Addressing Consumer Distrust in Sustainability Claims

In today’s world, we face a multitude of societal and environmental problems that demand urgent attention. It is indisputable that our decisions and our lifestyles need to become more sustainable. From an economic perspective, sustainability can be described as a responsible management of externalities— that is, the parties engaging in economic transactions need to consider the effects their decisions have on third parties.

Besides the adjustments in internal processes, individual consumer decisions can be another important pillar of a successful sustainability strategy. However, companies and corporate decision-makers face significant hurdles in implementing sustainable practices. Companies or brands committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or sustainability in general still need to attract consumers, as they are the ones who ultimately buy sustainably produced products and pay the markup.

Nonetheless, it remains unclear how strong consumers’ preferences for sustainability truly are. Critically, there exists a considerable attitude–behavior gap when it comes to sustainable behavior. Researchers have identified four types of reasons why behavior does not match attitudes.

First, individuals might not assess their true attitudes accurately, possibly because of social desirability bias. Second, the gap can be attributed to “System 1” behavior, where decisions are made instinctively rather than consciously. Third, the gap might reflect the trade-offs inherent in most decisions, where immediate benefits outweigh long-term sustainability concerns.

In this project, we have focused on the fourth reason why positive attitudes toward sustainability fail to translate into sustainable behavior—namely that consumers might distrust the sustainability claims presented by sellers and producers. This skepticism can stem from greenwashing tactics or a lack of transparency in supply chains. Addressing this distrust is crucial to bridge the gap between consumer attitudes and behavior toward sustainability. By fostering trust and providing transparent information, companies can encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices, thus contributing to a more environmentally conscious society.

We applied a modified version of the Ultimatum Game, introducing a third party profiting from positive external effects (a donation) when the transaction is realized. We experimentally manipulate who bears the cost for the external effect and the uncertainty about the it and analyze the effect of these manipulations on the amounts offered and accepted.

The first results indicate that consumers have a true preference for sustainability when the claim is credible; thus, credible sustainability claims might reduce the attitude–behavior gap. However, we have found indications that this depends on who ultimately bears the costs caused by a higher level of sustainability. If these are borne entirely by the consumers themselves, their willingness to pay for sustainability is greatest. One explanation for this could be that the consumer then claims the “good” deed for themselves, which compensates for paying more.

In future experiments we experimentally vary the uncertainty about the transfer of the external effect.

Collaboration Partner:

• Prof. Dr. Sebastian Goerg, TU München
• Martin Speckner, TU München