Green purchase behavior of undergraduate students in Hong Kong

•This paper aims to examine the effect of undergraduate students’ perceptions of green marketing practices on their attitude toward the environment, their perceived environmental problem seriousness, and their environmental responsibility.•It further examines whether their green products purchase willingness and behaviors will eventually be affected.•The measurement and structural models are examined with the partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling.•The structural model is a good fit to the data. Some significant relationships are found, which provides insights for green marketers.

This paper aims to examine the effect of undergraduate students’ perceptions of green marketing practices on their attitudes toward the environment, their perceived environmental problem seriousness, and their environmental responsibility. Additionally, it examines whether their green products purchase willingness and behavior will eventually be affected. A sample of undergraduate students in Hong Kong is used. The measurement and structural models are examined with the partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. The structural model is a good fit to the data. This research reflects a parsimonious picture about undergraduate students’ expectations of green marketing practices, environmental perception, and purchasing behavior, and provides insights for green marketers to formulate strategies to encourage well-educated students to consume green products.