“Do you practice what you preach?”: The effects of celebrities' pro-environmental messages on social media on young adults’ pro-environmental behavior

Veröffentlichungen: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelPeer Reviewed

Abstract

Purpose: Celebrities communicating about environmental sustainability on social media have the power to inspire young adults to engage in pro-environmental behavior, such as reducing their consumption behavior or only buying local and organic food. However, at the same time, celebrities’ carbon-rich and luxurious lifestyles might generate skepticism when they preach about environmental action. Thus, this study aims to shed light on the effects of celebrity pro-environmental messages on young adults’ perceived authenticity and greenwashing and, subsequently, on young adults’ pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, this study examined the moderation effect of congruent (vs incongruent) messages in the celebrity’s social media profile depicting an environmentally friendly (vs unfriendly) lifestyle. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a 3 (celebrity pro-environmental messages: with concrete action claim vs without vs control group) x 2 (celebrity message-lifestyle congruence: congruent vs incongruent) between-subjects experimental study (N = 400) with young adults (16–26 years old). Findings: Results showed a significant positive effect of celebrity pro-environmental messages with concrete green action claims on authenticity perceptions only when the social media profile depicted a congruent environmentally friendly lifestyle. Moreover, higher perceived authenticity of the celebrity by social media audiences led to a higher likelihood of young adults’ engagement in pro-environmental behavior. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to consider celebrity message characteristics and young adults’ perceptions of authenticity and greenwashing when investigating the effects of celebrity pro-environmental messages on young adults’ pro-environmental behavior.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
FachzeitschriftYoung Consumers
Frühes Online-Datum12 Sep. 2024
DOIs
PublikationsstatusElektronische Veröffentlichung vor Drucklegung - 12 Sep. 2024

ÖFOS 2012

  • 508007 Kommunikationswissenschaft

Zitationsweisen