Is it appropriate to research consumer attitudes toward sustainable fashion using the theory of planned behavior? Is the research philosophy corresponding to the theory of planned behavior positivism and interpretation?
Yes, I think so. However, a note: perhaps it makes sense to consider the behavioral reasoning theory, which in my understanding is an advanced generalization of TPB:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074959780500107X
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-014-0399-0
Hi, Zhang:
In general, there is a pragmatism's potential for transcending the antagonism between positivism and post-positivism (Hamati-Ataya, 2012) especially through the work of Morton Kaplan, who combines a Pragmatist theory of knowledge with a systems theory of world politics. A reconstruction of Kaplan's synoptic philosophy shows how Pragmatism can help us move beyond the dual fallacy of truth as correspondence and truth as self-consciousness, to a non-foundationalist epistemology that acknowledges the historicity of knowing without annihilating the realism of the common world we live in.
Using the theory of planned behavior, when we look at a recent research study (de Lenne, & Vandenbosch, 2017) that examined the relationships between different types of media and the intention to buy sustainable apparel and test we see that the attitudes, social norms, and self-efficacy beliefs may explain these relationships. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 681 young adults (18-26 years old). Exposure to social media content of sustainable organizations, eco-activists, and sustainable apparel brands, and social media content of fashion bloggers and fast fashion brands predicted respondents’ attitudes, descriptive and subjective norms, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding buying sustainable apparel.
In turn, attitudes, descriptive norms, and self-efficacy beliefs predicted the intention to buy sustainable apparel. Fashion magazines predicted the intention through self-efficacy. Specialized magazines did not predict the intention to buy sustainable apparel. That authors suggest that the results should be generalized with caution as the current study relied on a convenience sample of young adults and that their study hints at the importance of social media to affect young consumers’ intentions to buy sustainable apparel. Sustainable apparel brands should consider attracting more young social media users to their social media pages!
- Hamati-Ataya, I. (2012). Beyond (Post)Positivism: The Missed Promises of Systemic Pragmatism1. International Studies Quarterly, 56(2), 291-305.
- de Lenne, O., & Vandenbosch, L. (2017). Media and sustainable apparel buying intention. Journal Of Fashion Marketing & Management, 21(4), 483-498.
Hope this helps!
Kind Regards, Nadeem
Hi Zhang,
you can conduct research on consumer attitudes toward sustainable fashion using the theory of planned behavior.
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