AUTHOR=Yan Dongqing , Cai Xiang , Xie Meiying , Javeed Sohail Ahmad , Liu Fengqin , Cao Qun 

TITLE=Why is reusable bag consumption easier to say than do?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.956998

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.956998

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=White pollution has become a global problem. China issued a strict plastic ban but fell into an awkward position. Despite the increasing environmental awareness, the positive attitude of consumers towards using reusable bags instead of plastic bags is difficult to reflect on from their behavior. This paper bridges this gap by utilizing a consumer behavior framework based on Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT) and Attitude-Behavior-Context Model (ABC). This framework is tested using structural equation modelling with 481 Chinese consumers. This paper confirms value has a significant impact on consumer attitudes. Meanwhile the paper reveals the positive influence of ‘reasons for’ in predicting attitudes and the negative influence of ‘reasons against’ in predicting intentions. Reusable bag consumption behavior is a result of multiple pathways working together, which causes the gap between attitudes and behavior. This paper also confirms the moderating role of Chinese face and the enforcement of the plastic ban in influencing behavior. These findings offer interesting insights for enterprises and governments to solve the problem of plastic consumption.