From Confusion to Trust: How Cognitive Factors Shape Green Consumption in Different Market Contexts

Abstract

This study explores the influence of green cognitive factors (GCF) on shaping green attitudes (GA) and driving green behavior (GB), highlighting the role of both intrinsic- and extrinsic-cognitive dimensions in consumers' decision-making processes. The assessment of the integrated model underscores the pivotal role of green confusion, which varies depending on market conditions. The findings (N = 1,000) reveal that extrinsic green cognitive factors (GCF), particularly green confusion, had a negative impact on Korean consumers' green trust. In contrast, no such effect was observed among Japanese consumers. This suggests that the influence of green confusion on trust formation may be culturally or contextually dependent, potentially shaped by differences in consumer awareness, regulatory frameworks, and market transparency between the two countries. The three-stage model offers a significant theoretical contribution by emphasizing the critical role of the extrinsic dimension within green cognitive factors (GCF) in shaping consumers' green behavior across different markets.