Consumer religious commitment's influence on ecocentric attitudes and behavior

A host of environmental issues are now of concern to many consumers, though efforts by marketing practitioners, researchers, and public policy officials to affect behavioral change among consumers have been marginal. Further, research investigating the influence of consumers' general religiosity as an antecedent to ecocentric attitudes and behaviors yields mixed results. In this study, the authors examine the antecedent role of a specific form of religiosity, intrapersonal religious commitment, on a specific environmental worldview, ecocentric attitude, and six wide-ranging environmental consumer behaviors from a socio-psychological viewpoint.Findings negate the long standing notion of a strictly negative relationship between the Judeo-Christian faith and disregard for the environment. Among Judeo-Christians, when age, gender, and urban/rural profile are controlled, intrapersonal religious commitment has no impact on ecocentric attitudes and behaviors. Thus, highly religious consumers appear to be no less receptive to pro-environmental messages or less likely to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors than other consumers. Consistent with prior research, ecocentric attitudes evidence a relatively weak link with various pro-environmental behaviors. This research has implications for marketing researchers and practitioners. Directions for future research are also provided.