Integration of ESG in sustainable consumer behaviour research: a multi-method analysis among UK air travellers

The candidate seeks to develop a multidimensional framework to understand the antecedents of environmentally and socially responsible consumer behaviour, and the impact of corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies on consumer perceptions and sustainable consumer behaviour. This thesis employed a multi-method approach, incorporating Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), to examine the symmetric effects and asymmetric configurations of antecedents of sustainable consumer behaviours. Based on survey data, SEM results indicate that personal norms are the strongest driver across both environmental and social dimensions. Environmental knowledge and risk perception significantly influence environmental concern, which, in turn, significantly influences behavioural intention in the environmental domain. Social concern also significantly influences behavioural intention in the social dimension. Perceived behavioural control significantly influences intention in both dimensions. Perceived effectiveness, social influence, and ethical obligation exert diverse influences across the environmental and social dimensions, with domain-specific effects. Intention robustly predicts behaviour in both environmental and social dimensions. Furthermore, the ESG moderation analysis indicates that ESG factors significantly strengthen the positive relationship between environmental knowledge and environmental concern, perceived behavioural control and intention, and intention and behaviour in the environmental dimension. However, no significant moderating effects were identified in the social dimensions. The fsQCA results also uncover multiple configurations for environmentally and socially responsible behaviour. The analysis identified environmental risk perception, environmental concern, ethical obligation, personal norms, and intention as necessary conditions for environmentally responsible behaviour, as well as for social concern, ethical obligation, and intention for socially responsible behaviour. Interestingly, fsQCA revealed that ESG appear as a critical antecedent in both environmental and social dimensions. As such, this thesis contributes to the theory by enhancing consumer behaviour research with the ESG factor in the air travel context, and exploring antecedents of both environmental and social dimensions of sustainable consumer behaviour. In addition, on the basis of stakeholder theory, this thesis contributes to integrating the ESG framework into the TPB to develop knowledge about consumers' perceptions of businesses' ESG factors. Finally, the multi-method approach applied in this research revealed the complementary benefits of SEM and fsQCA in providing a deeper understanding of ESG research in the context of sustainable consumer behaviour among air travellers.