Under Construction @ Keele 2016 Volume 2 Issue 2 | Page 24

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A challenging group to predict is the non-engagers group, as this group do not rate any
of the values as particularly important. It may be the case that these individuals are more
passive, and take a laissez-faire approach when making decisions. Therefore, it is thought
that participants in this group may purchase fewer recycled products than participants in the
value-opportunists group (H6). Finally, it is predicted that differences between the groups
regarding their willingness to buy recycled products will be mediated by their moral norm to
recycle (H7). In summary, in terms of willingness to buy recycled products, it is hypothesised
that the relationship between the groups will be as follows:
Self-Enhancers < Non-Engagers < Value Opportunists < Selfless-Contributors
Results
PROCESS, an add-on for the statistical computer-based package SPSS, was used to
conduct mediation analysis. First this indicated whether any differences existed between the
groups regarding their willingness to purchase recycled products (H1 - H6). Secondly, it
identified whether the relationship between the groups and their willingness to buy recycled
products was mediated by their moral norms regarding recycling (H7).
The findings offered support for both H1 and H2: the self-enhancers group purchased
fewer recycled products than both the selfless-contributors group and the value opportunists
group. Furthermore, the findings indicated support for H5 and H6: the non-engagers group
purchased fewer recycled products than both the selfless-contributors group and the value
opportunists group. However, no significant differences were found regarding the purchasing
of recycled products when comparing the self-enhancers group to the non-engagers group,
or when comparing the value-opportunists group to the selfless-contributors group, leading
to the rejection of both H3 and H4.
These findings suggest that the self-enhancers group and the non-engagers group
behave similarly to one another in terms of willingness to buy recycled products. The same
can be found when comparing the value-opportunists group with the selfless contributors
group. However, the latter two groups, the opportunistic Oscars and selfless Susans, were
both willing to purchase more recycled products than either of the former two groups, the
egocentric Edwards and non-engaging Ninas. Consequently, in terms of willingness to buy
recycled products, the groups can be split as follows:
Self-Enhancers & Non-Engagers < Value-Opportunists & Selfless-Contributors