Intention to Purchase Green Vehicle: Case Study in Malaysia Using Extended Theory Planned Behavior (TPB) Model

Sharulshahida Shakrein Safian; Salwaty Jamaludin; Adibah Alawiah  Osman; Norhasimah Shaharuddin; Mohammad Zulfakhairi Mokhtar

Across disciplines, it is common to understand habit as “learned sequences of acts that become automatic responses to specific situations, which may be functional in obtaining certain goals or end states” (Verplanken et al., 1997). They stand in for a person's conditioned reactions to a certain stimulus. It is critical to note that developing a habit requires at least weekly repetition. Once a behaviour is established, it is carried out automatically (Orbell et al. 2001; Triandis 1980), meaning that it requires little conscious thought and little mental effort (Wood et al. 2002). As a result, when a behaviour is habit-driven, a person simply does not think about it since it is non-reflective (Lindbladh and Lyttkens 2002), which reduces the conscious focus that is frequently required when we perform it. The objective of research which is about predicting the intention to purchase green vehicles by using an extended model of Theory Planned Behaviour (TPB) comprises attitude, perceived behaviour control, subjective norm and personal moral norm. This study intended to see whether “habit” will give significant effect or vice versa in the extended TPB model as well as whether or not habit correlates to the behaviour from the previous literature. We believe it should be expanded by including the habit construct and its main predecessors so that the limitation can be overcome and the model’s explanatory value improved. As a conclusion, the result of a survey among 427 respondents showed that most of the variables in the TPB extended model had a significant relationship towards intention to purchase green vehicles.

Abou-Zeid, M., & Ben-Akiva, M. (2011). The effect of social comparisons on commute well-being. Transp. Res. Part A 45(4), 345–361.
Achtnicht, M. (2012). German car buyers’ willingness to pay to reduce CO2 emissions. Clim. Chang. 113, 679–697.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behaviour. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50 (2), 179–211.
Ajzen, I., Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behaviour. Prentice-Hall, Englewood-Cliffs.
Axsen, J., & Kurani, K. S. (2013): Hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric-What do car buyers want? Energy Policy 61, 532–543.
Bamberg, S. C. (2003). How does environmental concern influence specific environmentally related behaviors? A new answer to an old question. Journal of Environmental Psychology 23 (1), 21–32.
Beck, L., & Ajzen, I.(1991): Predicting dishonest actions using the theory of planned behavior. J. Res. Pers. 25(3), 285–301.
Burns, A. C., & Bush, R. F. (2000). Marketing Research, Prentice-Hall, NJ
Chen, M. F., & Tung, P. J. (2014): Developing an extended theory of planned behavior model to predict consumers’ intention to visit green hotels. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 36, 221–230.
Chen, T. B., & Chai, L. T. (2010). Attitude towards the Environment and Green Products?: Consumers’ Perspective. Management Science and Engineering.
Chiou, T. Y., Chan, H. K., Lettice, F., & Chung, S. H. (2011). The influence of greening the suppliers and green innovation on environmental performance and competitive advantage in Taiwan. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 47(6), 822-836.
Churchill, N. C. (1992)., ‘Research issues in entrepreneurship’, The State of Art of Entrepreneurship in D.L. Sexton & J.D. Kasarda eds, PWS-Kent Publishing, Boston, Massachusetts, pp.579-596.
Coad, A., Haan, P. D., & Woersdorfer, J. S. (2009): Consumer support for environmental policies: an application to purchases of green cars. Ecol. Econ. 68, 2078–2086.
Daziano, R. A., & Bolduc, D. (2011). Incorporating pro-environmental preferences towards green automobile technologies through a Bayesian hybrid choice model. Transportmetrica. doi:10.1080/18128602.2010.524173
Daziano, R. A., & Bolduc, D. (2013): Incorporating pro-environmental preferences towards green automobile technologies through a Bayesian hybrid choice model. Transp. A 9(1), 74–106.
De Haan, J., Lundstrom, S., & Sturm, J. E. (2006). Market?oriented institutions and policies and economic growth: A critical survey. Journal of economic surveys, 20(2), 157-191.
Diamond, D. (2009). The impact of government incentives for hybrid-electric vehicles: Evidence from US states. Energy Policy, 37(3), 972-983.
Erdem, C., Senturk, I., & Simsek, T. (2010): Identifying the factors affecting the willingness to pay for fuel-ef?cient vehicles in Turkey: a case of hybrids. Energy Policy 38, 3038–3043
Fishbein, M. I., & Ajzen. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research, Addison-Wesley.
Fishbein, M. I., & Ajzen. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research, Addison-Wesley.
Fitzmaurice, J. (2005). Incorporating consumers’ motivations into the theory of reasoned action. Psychology and Marketing 22 (11), 911–929.
Fontaras, G., Pistikopoulos, P., & Samaras, Z. (2008): Experimental evaluation of hybrid vehicle fuel economy and pollutant emissions over real world simulation driving cycles. Atmos. Environ. 42, 4023–4035.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error.Journal of Marketing Research 18 (1), 39–50.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing research, 382-388.
Fujii, S. (2006). Environmental concern, attitude toward frugality, and ease of behavior as determinants of pro-environmental behavior intentions.Journal of Environmental Psychology 26, 262–268.
Green, R. C., Wang, L., & Alam, M. (2011). The impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on distribution networks: A review and outlook. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 15(1), 544-553.
Hatcher, L. (1994). A Step-by-Step Approach to Using the SAS System for Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.
Heffner, R. R., Kurani, K. S., & Turrentine, T. S. (2007): Symbolism in California’s early market for hybrid electric vehicles. Transp. Res. Part D 12, 396–413.
Heffner, R. R., Kurani, S. K., & Turrentine, S. T. (2007). Symbolism and the adoption of fuel-cells vehicles, The World Electric Vehicle Association Journal, 1, pp. 24-31.
Hidrue, M. K., Parsons, G. R., Kempton, W., & Gardner, M. P. (2011). Willingness to pay for electric vehicles and their attributes. Resour. Energy Econ. 33 (3), 686–705.
International Energy Agency (IEA). (2009). World Energy Outlook 2009. IEA, Paris Jakovcevic, A., Steg, L.: Sustainable transportation in Argentina: values, beliefs, norms and car use reduction. Transp. Res. Part F 20, 70–79 (2013)
Jansson, J., Marell, A., & Nordlund, A. (2010). Green consumer behavior: determinants of curtailment and eco-innovation adoption. Journal of consumer marketing, 27(4), 358-370.
Jeon, C., Yoo, J., Choi, K. M. (2012). The effect of social influence on consumers’ hybrid electric vehicles adoption in Korea and China.ICACT, 19(22): 336-340.
Kahn, M. E. (2007): Do greens drive Hummers or hybrids? Environmental ideology as a determinant of consumer choice. J. Environ. Econ. Manag. 54, 129–145.
Kaiser, F. G., & Scheuthle, H. (2003). Two challenges to a moral extension of the theory of planned behavior: moral norms and just world beliefs in conservationism. Personal. Individ. Differ. 35(5), 1033–1048.
Kim, Y., & Han, H. (2010). Intention to pay conventional-hotel prices at a green hotel a modi?cation of the theory of planned behavior. J. Sustain. Tour. 18(8), 997–1014.
Kline, R. B. (1998). Software review: Software programs for structural equation modelling: Amos, EQS, and LISREL. Journal of psychoeducational assessment, 16(4), 343-364.
Klockner, C. A., Nayum, A., & Mehmetoglu, M. (2013): Positive and negative spillover effects from electric car purchase to car use. Transp. Res. Part D 21, 32–38.
Lindbladh, E., & Lyttkens, C. H. (2002). Habit versus choice: the process of decision-making in health-related behaviour. Social science & medicine, 55(3), 451-465.
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2012): China Statistical Yearbook 2012. National Bureau of Statistic of China, Beijing.
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Orbell, S., Blair, C., Sherlock, K., & Conner, M. (2001). The theory of planned behavior and ecstasy use: Roles for habit and perceived control over taking versus obtaining substances. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 31(1), 31-47.
Ottman, J. A., Stafford, E. R., & Hartman, C. L. (2006). Avoiding green marketing myopia: Ways to improve consumer appeal for environmentally preferable products. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 48(5), 22-36.
Ozaki, R., & Sevastyanova, K. (2011). Going hybrid: An analysis of consumer purchase motivations, Energy Policy, 39, pp. 2217-2227.
Potoglou, D., & Kanaroglou, P.S., (2007). Household demand and willingness to pay for clean vehicles. Transportation Research Part D 12, 264–274.
Ramayah, T., Lee, J. W. C., & Lim, S. (2012): Sustaining the environment through recycling: an empirical study. J. Environ. Manag. 102, 141–147.
Rivis, A., & Sheeran, P. (2003). Descriptive norms as an additional predictor in the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 22(3), 218-233.
Romm, J. (2006): The car and the fuel of the future. Energy Policy 34, 2609–2614.
Rout, U.K ., Vob, A., Singh, A., Fahl, U., Blesl, M., Gallacho ´ira, B. P. O. (2011): Energy and emissions forecast of China over a long-time horizon. Energy 36, 1–11.
Santini, D. J., & Vyas, A. D. (2005): Suggestions for a New Vehicle Choice Model Simulating Advanced Vehicles Introduction Decisions (AVID): Structure and Coef?cients. Center for Transportation Analysis, Argonne National Laboratory. ANL/ESD/05-1.
Schuitema, G., Anable, J., Skippon, S., & Kinnear, N. (2013): The role of instrumental, hedonic and symbolic attributes in the intention to adopt electric vehicles. Transp. Res. Part A 48, 39–49.
Sigurdardottir, S. B., Kaplan, S., Moller, M., & Teasdale, T. W. (2013). Understanding adolescents’ intentions to commute by car or bicycle as adults. Transp. Res. Part D 24, 1–9.
Simpson, A. (2006). Cost-benefit analysis of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology (No. NREL/CP-540-40485). National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO..
Tan, M., & Teoh, H. S. (2000). Factors influencing the adoption of internet banking. Journal of Association for Information Systems, 1(1): 1-42.
Triandis, H. C. (1980). Reflections on trends in cross-cultural research. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 11(1), 35-58.
Triandis, H. C. (1977). Interpersonal Behaviour. Brooks/Cole, Monterey.
Turrentine, T., & Kurani, K. (2007): Car buyers and fuel economy? Energy Policy 35, 1213–1223.
Turrentine, T., Garas, D., Lentz, A., & Woodjack, J. (2011): The UC Davis MINI E Consumer Study. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies Research Report, 5.
Turrentine, T., Kurani, K., & Heffner, R. (2007): Fuel economy: what drives consumer choice? Access Mag. 31, 14–19.
Verplanken, B., & Aarts, H. (1999). Habit, attitude, and planned behaviour: is habit an empty construct or an interesting case of goal-directed automaticity?. European review of social psychology, 10(1), 101-134.
Verplanken, B., Aarts, H., Van Knippenberg, A. D., & Moonen, A. (1998). Habit versus planned behaviour: A field experiment. British journal of social psychology, 37(1), 111-128.
Vogt, W. P. (1999). Dictionary of Statistics and Methodology: A Nontechnical Guide for the Social Science, second ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Wang, S., Fan, J., Zhao, D., & Yang, S. (2014). Predicting consumers ’ intention to adopt hybrid electric vehicles?: using an extended version of the theory of planned behavior model. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-014-9567-9.
Wood, W., Quinn, J. M., & Kashy, D. A. (2002). Habits in everyday life: thought, emotion, and action. Journal of personality and social psychology, 83(6), 1281.
Wu, Y. H., Trappey, V. C., & Feinberg, A. R. (2010). The diffusion of innovation and perceived risk for the adoption of alternative energy vehicles. International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 8(3): 296-314.
Zhang, X., Wang, K., Hao, Y., Fan, J. L., & Wei, Y. M. (2013). The impact of government policy on preference for NEVs: the evidence from China. Energy Policy 61, 382–393.
Zhang, X., Wang, K., Hao, Y., Fan, J. L., & Wei, Y. M. (2013). The impact of government policy on preference for NEVs: the evidence from China. Energy Policy 61, 382–393.
Ziegler, A. (2012). Individual characteristics and stated preferences for alternative energy sources and propulsion technologies in vehicles: a discrete choice analysis for Germany. Transp. Res. Part A 46(8), 1372–1385.

In-Text Citation: (Safian et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Safian, S. S., Jamaludin, S., Osman, A. A., Shaharuddin, N., & Mokhtar, M. Z. (2023). Intention to Purchase Green Vehicle: Case Study in Malaysia Using Extended Extended Theory Planned Behavior (TPB) Model. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(2), 489 – 505.

Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non0-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

Intention to Purchase Green Vehicle: Case Study in Malaysia Using Extended Theory Planned Behavior (TPB) Model

Sharulshahida Shakrein Safian, Salwaty Jamaludin, Adibah Alawiah Osman, Norhasimah Shaharuddin, Mohammad Zulfakhairi Mokhtar

Further Information

Our Journals

Get intouch with us