The mediation effect of perceived behavioral control in ethical consumerism: A TPB approach to willingness to pay for eco-certified hotels

Abstract

This paper examines the Willingness to Pay (WTP) for hotel certifications in the context of ethical consumerism in hospitality, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a framework. Utilizing a dataset of 350 responses collected through a structured survey, the study models WTP as a function of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and moral norms. The results demonstrate that PBC significantly mediates the relationship between attitudes and WTP, with a standardized coefficient of 1.53 (p < .01), indicating that consumers’ financial capability and perceived value strongly influence their decision to pay a premium for environmentally certified hotels. In contrast, attitudes (β = 0.07, p > .05), subjective norms (β = 0.05, p > .05) and moral norms (β = 0.21, p > .05) do not show direct significance in predicting WTP. These findings emphasize the importance of communicating the tangible benefits of certifications and targeting consumers with the financial means to support sustainable hospitality practices. Our paper contributes to the growing body of literature on ethical consumerism by highlighting the critical role of PBC in bridging the intention-behavior gap in sustainable tourism.