In recent years, there has been an increase in environmental awareness in the United States
leading to steady growth in environmentally conscious consumerism. These changes have come
in response to issues such as the energy crisis, climate change, exponential population growth, and
rapid urbanization. This fact is further supported by environmental campaigns and the green
movement. Looking to the future of green home marketing, understanding the green consumer
behavior of Generation Z (GenZ) is important for environmental and business reasons. The
purpose of this research is to better understand the perception of GenZ on Green Homes (GHs).
The study uses the lenses of dual inheritance and normative motivation theory to explain the
influence of benefits and norms related to environmentalism and sustainability on GenZ consumers’
green behavior. This study seeks to evaluate 1) GenZ’s preferences related to Green Home
Features (GHFs), 3) the extent of the influence of certain barriers on the adoption of GHFs, and 3)
the types of motivation (intrinsic, instrumental and non-normative) influencing GenZ towards
green home consumerism. Data was collected using an online survey questionnaire exclusively at
Purdue University during March – April of 2021 (IRB 2020-1414). One hundred sixteen GenZ participants
responded to the survey.The findings show that these GenZ consumers prefer a certain type of
GHFs over others. Additionally, based on descriptive tests of GHFs, energy-related features were
the most prized features, while the least preferred was water-efficient features. Descriptive tests
on barriers suggest that GenZ consumers perceive the lack of choice in selecting GHFs in their
homes to be a top barrier, followed by a lack of information and the perceived effort to analyze
GHFs. Inferential tests for the same indicated that GenZ consumers perceive these barriers
differently. Lastly, for GenZ consumers, intrinsic and non-normative motivations significantly
affect their willingness to buy GHs. The findings concur with previous studies on green consumer
behavior, yet they provide a new benchmark for understanding GenZ consumer behavior on GHs
and an updated view of what GHFs they prefer. This research can be used by home marketers and
policy makers to study future home trends, attract more potential homeowners to GHs, and help
create a sustainable environment for future generations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/14842671 |
| Date | 23 July 2021 |
| Creators | Bhavya Rathna Kota (11022585) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Investigation_of_GenerationZs_perception_of_Green_Homes_and_Green_Home_Features/14842671 |
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