No chance to fool young consumers when it comes to the environment: Effects of false and compensation claims in airline advertising on perceived greenwashing

By promoting their services as environmentally friendly, airlines are increasingly accused of greenwashing. In an experimental quota-based study (N = 279), we investigated the effects of airlines’ false green claims, environmental compensation claims, and non-green claims on young consumers’ perceptions of greenwashing. Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, we additionally examined how young consumers’ environmental knowledge and eco-anxiety influence their perceptions of greenwashing. Results showed that both false and environmental compensation claims triggered perceived greenwashing. While these perceptions were independent of young consumers’ eco-anxiety, environmental knowledge enhanced perceptions of greenwashing for false green claims but not for compensation claims. Further, perceptions of greenwashing reduced positive airline brand evaluations and behavioral intentions to fly with the airline in the future. Results are discussed in light of previous greenwashing research.