Why some people develop eco-friendly habits while others struggle?B-school research explores factors

Panaji, Sep 7 (PTI) Why do some people develop environmentally friendly habits easily while others struggle to make sustainable choices? A team of researchers from Goa Institute of Management (GIM) has tried to explore this by looking into the impact of income, education and age on sustainability consciousness among consumers.

Published in the prestigious Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, the research focused on factors that shape an individual's propension towards sustainable shopper behaviour in both retail and service industries in India.

According to Sumit Tripathi, Associate Professor, GIM, the researchers employed dual-model machine learning methodologies utilising TabNet and CatBoost to facilitate comprehensive analysis and accurately mapped individual behavioural patterns. To specifically outline the findings, the researchers used Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP), an explanation model.

In addition to performing sensitivity testing and Monte Carlo simulations supported the robustness of results in diverse socio-economic environments.

"Based on these simulations, the researchers found that income, education and environmental awareness are the most significant predictors of carbon footprint awareness.

"People with higher incomes tend to have access to more sustainable products, motivating greater environmental concern. Education as a motivating factor for behavioural change takes on a stronger role for lower-income individuals, where even a modest increase in knowledge leads to a remarkable change in behaviour," Tripathi told PTI.

The researchers also found that brand loyalty and engagement in product review writing for environmentally conscious companies foster sustainable decision-making. The study showed age trends, revealing that older, less educated, lower-income individuals have lower awareness compared to young, educated individuals.

"True progress towards a greener future comes from recognising that the choices people make for the planet are shaped by their everyday realities as much as by their values. Income, education and daily habits play a big role in making eco-friendly actions possible. When solutions take these factors into account, awareness turns into action, and sustainable living becomes practical, affordable, and exciting for everyone," Tripathi said.

The professor explained that unlike traditional studies that rely on aggregated data, this research focuses on individual-level behavioural modelling, that combines high predictive accuracy for real-world application.

"The multi-layered methodology makes it practically adaptable to other sustainability contexts. This novel research not only furthers the understanding of the socio-economic drivers of sustainable behaviour, but also offers actionable strategies for policymakers, business leaders, educators, and urban planners towards achieving a sustainable and socially equitable green transition," he said.

Explaining the applications of the research, Tripathi said the policymakers can develop subsidies for the implementation of environment-efficient solutions.

"Sustainability marketing can be made more targeted for different consumer segments by brands. These socio-economic patterns can be integrated by urban planners into the design of city-level green initiatives for more inclusive infrastructure for recycling, public transport and renewable energy," he said. PTI GJS DIV DIV