Celebrity Endorsement in Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior

38 Pages Posted: 2 Dec 2020

See all articles by Thong Ho

Thong Ho

University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

Zihan Nie

Gothenburg University, School of Economics, Business and Law

Francisco Alpizar

Wageningen University and Research (WUR)

Fredrik Carlsson

Goeteborg University - School of Economics & Commercial Law

Khanh Nam Pham

University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

Date Written: November 1, 2020

Abstract

We conduct a natural field experiment on the effect of having a celebrity endorse an information campaign aiming to induce pro-environmental behavior in the context of single-use plastics consumption. We find that an information campaign does not have a significant effect on behavior unless it is endorsed by a celebrity. Subjects in the treatment with a combination of information campaign and celebrity endorsement use around 25% fewer plastic items compared with subjects in the control group. Adding a pledge to the endorsement does not result in an incremental reduction in the use of plastic items. Exploratory analysis suggests that the information campaign itself affect attitudes, but not behavior, and that it is the celebrity endorsement itself that affect behavior.

Keywords: pro-environmental behavior, celebrity endorsement, information

JEL Classification: C93, D9, Q5

Suggested Citation

Ho, Thong and Nie, Zhian and Alpizar, Francisco and Carlsson, Fredrik and Pham, Khanh Nam, Celebrity Endorsement in Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior (November 1, 2020). CeCAR Working Paper Series No. 8, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3739302 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3739302

Thong Ho (Contact Author)

University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City ( email )

Vietnam

Zhian Nie

Gothenburg University, School of Economics, Business and Law ( email )

Francisco Alpizar

Wageningen University and Research (WUR) ( email )

Netherlands

Fredrik Carlsson

Goeteborg University - School of Economics & Commercial Law ( email )

Box 640
SE 405 30 Goeteborg
Sweden
+46 31-773 4174 (Phone)
+46 31-773 1043 (Fax)

Khanh Nam Pham

University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

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