An Investigation into the Relationship Between Reproductive Motivation and Pro-environmental Actions and Values in Generation Y

Silva, Julia (2020) An Investigation into the Relationship Between Reproductive Motivation and Pro-environmental Actions and Values in Generation Y. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Although sustainability has been increasingly the focus of discussions, the journey towards a pro-environmental world is difficult and contains many barriers due to current economic systems that lead to unsustainable consumerism patterns. Generation Y, also known as millennials, has been more concerned about environmental issues and the future of the planet if compared with other generations. However, the same highly concerned individuals do not behave according to their beliefs, which is defined as the “value-action gap”. As this generation has a significant contribution to the economy, understanding the millennials, what shapes their needs and desires are key factors for multinational corporations. The prime aim of this paper was to investigate whether reproductive motivation is an important aspect that drives Generation Y’s environmental concern and attitude towards green purchasing behaviour. The researcher also examined the value-action gap by attempting to replicate the findings of previous research in order to analyse whether the individuals’ behaviour is influenced by their environmental beliefs. To complete this project, the author conducted a quantitative research by opting for a questionnaire to collect data from 131 respondents. The sample was composed of millennials from several Western and Latin American countries. While the results indicate that reproductive motivation has no significant or positive influence on pro-environmental beliefs and behaviour among Generation Y consumers, it was possible to identify that environmental values have the ability to affect an individual’s action towards more sustainable consumption patterns. The broader implications of this research highlight the fact that future studies and companies should focus on the reproductive motivation appeal as it could be a potential key point to convert Generation Y consumers towards pro-environmental buying choices.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences > Environment
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Science in Management
Depositing User:	Dan English
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2021 14:31
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2021 14:31
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/4684

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