Comparing and combining theory of planned behavior and dragons of inaction to explain pro-environmental consumption behavior

We compare the well-established Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with the more recent Dragons of Inaction Psychological Barriers (DIPB) framework in explaining individuals' propensity to make sustainable consumption choices and explore how the two could be integrated. We use a choice experimental approach to measure pro-environmental consumption propensity across three consumption domains (electronics, clothes, food) and then examine how the two explanations compare to and complement each other. The data was collected through an original survey with a large, nationally representative sample of the Swiss adult population (N ≈ 5′000). The main findings are that revealed environmental impacts play an important role in stated consumption choices and that the DIPB framework performs at least as well as the TPB in explaining individuals' pro-environmental consumption propensity. The analytic framework and study design, which integrate the TPB and DIPB scale and use a combined experimental and observational approach, provide a template for further research on a wide range of consumer products in different country contexts and consumption domains.