Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Since the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly hit the world, the tourism industry has been impacted in every conceivable area. Environmental issues are recognized and considered essential to solve especially in the tourism industry. It is unavoidable that tourists bring both positive and negative impacts to a destination. Meanwhile, the tourism industry is eager to return to its pre-pandemic tourist numbers and levels of spending that traveler previously engaged in. The young generations, specifically Gen Y and Z, play an important role in the tourism market, and they often embody a mindset that takes into consideration issues of sustainability. However, they are not as active as expected in practicing sustainable travel behaviors. Sustainable tourism development and "green" travel practices are becoming increasingly necessary. The main purpose of this study is to identify the gaps between Gen Y and Z's intentions and their behaviors regarding sustainable travel. This study developed and tested a conceptual framework to understand this dynamic. This study identified two gaps: (a) the behavior-intention gap, which exists between Gen Y & Z's intentions and their behaviors in sustainable travel, and (b) daily life and sustainable travel gap, which is the gap between individuals’ daily sustainable habits and sustainable travel behaviors. The results of quantitative study indicated the factors contributed to the gaps included: (1) individuals who have bachelor’s degrees are more likely to conduct sustainable travel behaviors; (2) individuals who have daily sustainable habits; (3) individuals who have higher perceived consumer effectiveness. The implications of the study provide suggestions for destinations to promote sustainable travel and ways to encourage more sustainable traveling choices by travelers.

The increased global consumption has a severe effect on the environment. In order to reduce the environmental impact, there is a need for more environmentally friendly consumption choices. Several studies have confirmed that consumers have a positive attitude towards environmentally friendly products, but that the attitude is, in most cases, not put in to practice. To increase the degree of explanation behind the gap between Swedish consumers intention and behavior regarding the consumption of organic fruits, this study used Ajzen’s (1985) theory of planned behavior. The purpose of this bachelor thesis was to examine if attitude, social norms and experinced behavior control can explain the consumption behavior regarding organic fruits in Sweden. An online-survey with several Likert items was conducted in order to gather data. The respondents were asked about their age, income, education, attitudes, social norms and their experienced behavior control. A correlation test and a multiple regression analysis was conducted in order to see how the determinants of intention correlated with the behavior and how well they could influence the behavior. The results showed that attitude was the determinant that had the strongest correlation (0.522) and contributed the most to the behavior of buying organic fruits. Subjective norm (0.294) and perceived behavior control (0.245) had not as strong correlation as attitude and subjective norm could only influence the behavior to a minimal level. However, it was found that perceived behavior control could influence the behavior. The total rate of explanation for all determinants of intention on the behavior was R2 = 0.568 (56.8%). The conclusions that were made from this study were, firstly, that attitude can influence most of the behavior regarding consumption of organic fruits among Swedish consumers. Secondly, subjective norm can to a minimal degree influence the behavior regarding consumption of organic fruits among Swedish consumers. Thirdly, perceived behavior control can to a minimal degree influence behavior regarding consumption of organic fruits among Swedish consumers. Furthermore, there is a need for more studies who includes behavioral data and more added variables to the TpB model in order to deepen the knowledge about environmentally friendly consumption behaviors.

Title: Talking green, behaving brown - A study about consumers intention-behavior gap among eco-labels Level: Bachelor thesis in Business & Administration   Authors: Emma-Sophie Doksaeter & Julia Nordman   Supervisor: Jonas Kågström   Date: January 2019   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze consumers intention-behavior gap towards eco-labeled products based on Carrington’s et. al. model considering more recent studies regarding different variables such as relations, moral and knowledge.   Method: A quantitative survey design was developed based on variables from Carrington et al. (2010) and variables from more recent studies. Four surveys were made divided into three different countries; Sweden, Norway and Finland. The total number of participating respondents were 540. We used cluster, factor and SEM analysis to interpret our results.   Result & analysis: The result shows that it exists a gap between intention and behavior when speaking of eco-labels among consumers. Variables such as knowledge, actual behavior control have a big impact on implementation intention. Situational context and relations have low significance on implementation intention. Although, by considering all of these variables, it is possible to close the gap. To close the gap, it is also important to consider different consumer groups.     Contribution of the thesis: The study shows that it exists a gap between what consumers say they are going to do, and what they actually do, and that it is possible to close the gap between intentions and behavior when talking about eco-labels.   Suggestions for future research: The study shows cultural differences in intentions and behavior towards eco-labels. It would be possible to study this further. Another study could look at how organizations could increase eco-labels credibility towards consumers.    Keywords: Green marketing, behavior economics, intention-behavior gap, eco-labels, environmental intention

Background: In the last decade, the world has been facing global challenges of climate change as the climate has worsened significantly. Excessive consumption has been identified as one of the biggest contributors to the climate change where people purchase more products than what meets the basic needs. The excessive consumption of products has been prominent in the fashion industry, where female consumers generally purchase more clothes than men. Today, the fashion industry is dominated by fast fashion, where consumers purchase more clothes with a shorter life span. Thus, the fashion waste increases, leaving serious environmental effects. Sweden is said to be one of the greenest countries in the world but is still one of the countries with the highest levels of consumption globally. The private consumption is high in Sweden and one of the biggest consumer markets that have a negative effect on the environment is the fashion industry. As a result, sustainable fashion consumption is becoming more important.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the sustainable behavior of Swedish female consumers and later understand how different factors is affecting the IB gap in sustainable (secondhand) fashion consumption.   Method: To be able to achieve the purpose of this exploratory study, a qualitative research strategy was applied. The empirical data was collected through in-depth interviews held with Swedish female consumers with intentions to purchase secondhand fashion, which later was interpreted and analyzed through an abductive approach, incorporating a thematic analysis.   Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the behavior of intenders can be characterized by sustainable intentions that do not translate into behavior. Further, the behavior can be characterized by a weak social support system (barrier), poor availability (barrier), low task- and maintenance self-efficacy, high recovery self-efficacy, and no planning. In addition, the results of this study showed that the behavior of actors can be characterized by sustainable intentions and sustainable behavior. Further, the behavior can be characterized by a strong social support system, good availability, high task- and recovery self-efficacy, medium to high maintenance self-efficacy, and planning. The comparison between intenders and actors showed that the perceived barriers for intenders was contributing factors to the IB gap together with their low task- and maintenance self-efficacy through their most likely negative effect on intenders planning. Intenders lack of planning was shown to serve as a negative mediator between intention and behavior, which thereby contributes to the IB gap. While the recovery self-efficacy was high for both intenders and actors, actors has recovery self-efficacy for the desired behavior of purchasing secondhand on a regular basis, while intenders does not.

Background: Even though the health benefits of regular exercises are common knowledge, a concerning trend of obesity due to a lack of physical activity in the population exists. As Digital Technology is largely adapted among consumers, the question is if and how it can be used as a tool to close the intention behavior gap concerning physical activity. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand the intentions behind executing PA and to explore the role of digital technologies within PA. As a result, the aim of this research is to find potential opportunities to bridge the IB-Gap offered by DT and to suggest options for app developers and digital companies to improve their products to better meet customers' needs for utilizing them as tools to bridge the IB-Gap. Method: To understand and explore the intentions behind and ways how people are using Digital Technologies within physical activity a qualitative study was conducted. This included a two-week diary study capturing the intentions and behaviors, and in-depth interviews describing the usage of Digital Technology in more details. Conclusion: The results indicate that Digital Technology can support people in closing the Intention Behavior gap when it comes to Physical Activity. The study further showed that people use Digital Technology in different ways depending on factors such as motivation or proficiency towards Physical Activity. Therefore, Digital Technology should be tailored to the individuals needs to best support their efforts.

The largest generation on earth, Generation Z, holds substantial market power. They were born onto a planet that is overheating, in a society characterized by high growth and technological advancements at an accelerated speed, and are inheriting substantial sustainability, socio-economic, and climate change challenges. Given this, they are aware of the importance of incorporating sustainability into their purchasing decisions. Since the contemporary topic of sustainable decision-making of Gen Z is still in its nascent stage, this research further investigates the process an individual goes through when deciding what aspects guide them in decisions as well as what could possibly hinder Gen Z to turn sustainable purchasing intentions into behavior. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with individuals of Europe’s Gen Z cohort and subsequently processed using thematic analysis. Based on the EBM customer decision model, the information integration theory, and the green intention-behavior gap model, three categories focusing on rational, value-based, and intentional themes were derived. Results show that Gen Z goes through a complex decision process which is based on their strongly held values. Their intention to act sustainably is prevalent throughout the process, where they often combat internalized consumerism, search for authentic and honest information, rely on family, friends, their sustainability education and knowledge, their favorite brands, and are skeptical about claims made by companies. Even if individuals desire to purchase sustainably all the time, price, availability and accessibility, missing aesthetics as well as skepticism and the lack of transparency and regulations in terms of sustainability terminology hinders them to turn intentions into actions.

This dissertation investigated why Dutch millennials have a positive attitude towards sustainable packaging and whether this resulted into the purchase of sustainably packaged products in the FMCG industry. Data was collected by the use of a survey among 115 Dutch millennials. With the use of moderation variables (price, packaging quality, availability, recognition and perceived consumer effectiveness), certain interaction effects could be measured that influence purchasing decisions. Results showed that a positive attitude towards sustainable packaging results in a higher probability of purchasing sustainably packaged products. Furthermore, it was found that millennials are willing to pay extra for sustainable packaging. Also, more knowledge on how to recognize sustainably packaged products increases the likelihood of purchasing them.

This master thesis analyzes the influence of psychological barriers of consumers from Germany, Sweden, and Iran for using sustainable transportation modes. Climate change has started to change the way people travel. Yet prior research has shown that consumers from all over the world lack consistency between their behavioral intention and their actual behavior. In the case of traveling, this means that a significant number of consumers intends to use sustainable transportation modes, but fails to use them in the end. The reasons for this so-called intention-behavior gap in consumers' minds have been researched successfully and frequently in the past two decades. The novelty of this present thesis is the international comparison of travelers from three different countries and the explicit focus on voluntary travel. The according research questions are: RQ 1:  To what extent is there a gap between the intention and behavior of leisure travelers          regarding choosing sustainable transportation vehicles? RQ 2:  Which group of consumers (inclined abstainers or disinclined actors[1]) plays the bigger      role in creating this gap? RQ 3:  What are the determinants and barriers of using more sustainable transportation     vehicles in leisure transportation? RQ 4:  How is the sustainable behavior of leisure travelers in Sweden, Germany, and Iran            different? To answer the research questions, an online survey in Swedish (n1 = 130), German (n2 = 128), and Persian (n3 = 127) language was carried out ( ∑ n = 385) in April 2020 with a convenience sampling method and analyzed in May 2020. The results show that there is a slightly positive intention-behavior gap in the Swedish sample and a slightly negative intention-behavior gap in the Iranian sample. In the German sample, no significant intention-behavior gap has been found. Moreover, a higher level of environmental attitude, a higher level of environmental knowledge, a higher level of perceived effectiveness (of the consumers' own actions), and a higher level of social norms increases the intention of leisure travelers in Sweden, Germany, and Iran to use sustainable vehicles for leisure traveling - both for short and for long trips. The impact of perceived value and perceived price of sustainable transportation modes, as well as the impact of consumers' sustainable lifestyle on the on the travel intention are not supported in all three countries. Additionally, distance between origin and destination has been found to moderate the impact of determinants on intention. The moderating role of distance also varies in different countries. [1] See the literature review chapter for an explanation