Personal vs. Collective Nostalgia and Different Temporally Orientated Green Consumption

Abstract

In the literature, there are discrepancies about how nostalgia affects green consumption. Both positive and negative relationships between nostalgia and green consumption are found, and most research treats all types of green consumption the same, neglecting the differences. This study tried to put the contradictory findings together by classifying green consumption into future vs. non-future green consumption and taking collective vs. personal nostalgia into account. As far as we know, this study is the first to propose this classification of green consumption, and different patterns are found, which might drive new research. This research tested our hypotheses across four randomized controlled trials with 921 valid respondents in total. Study 1 found a negative effect of personal nostalgia on future-oriented green consumption and revealed a positive relationship between collective nostalgia and non-future green consumption. The results confirmed both positive and negative effects of nostalgia on green consumption found in previous research. Study 2 revealed that the past orientation mediated personal nostalgia’s negative effect on future-oriented green consumption and collective efficacy mediated collective nostalgia’s positive effect on non-future-oriented green consumption. Study 3 tested the moderating effect of product newness on personal nostalgia and future green consumption, and a negative moderating effect was uncovered. Study 4 found a positive moderating effect of product identity on collective nostalgia and non-future-oriented green consumption.