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How culture affects the perception of greenwashing
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School of Business |
Bachelor's thesis
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en
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54 + 12
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This thesis examines how culture influences the perception of greenwashing through a comparative study of Finnish and Malaysian consumers. As green marketing becomes increasingly widespread, misleading environmental claims present a growing challenge to consumer trust and sustainable decision-making.
A quantitative research approach was adopted using a survey-based experiment. Respondents were exposed to either a credible (non-greenwashed) or greenwashed advertisement for a detergent product and then evaluated the credibility of the environmental claims. The study measured perceived greenwashing, green trust, green skepticism, and perceived risk, and examined the role of cultural differences in the selected cultural dimensions: individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. A total sample size of N = 241 was collected.
The findings indicate that greenwashing reduces green trust while increasing consumer skepticism and perceived risk. Cultural differences showed only a limited influence on how consumers interpret environmental claims. While Finnish consumers, associated with higher uncertainty avoidance, reported higher levels of skepticism and perceived risk, overall perceptions of greenwashing and trust were largely consistent across the two groups.
The results highlight the importance of transparent and culturally adapted green marketing strategies for building and maintaining consumer trust, and emphasize the role of credible communication in supporting more sustainable consumption.