The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-4503.htm
MIP
27,3
364
Received October 2008
Revised December 2008
Accepted December 2008
Marketing Intelligence & Planning
Vol. 27 No. 3, 2009
pp. 364-379
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0263-4503
DOI 10.1108/02634500910955245
“Green” segmentation:
an application to the Portuguese
consumer market
Arminda do Paço and Mário Raposo
Research Unit NECE, Department of Business and Economics,
University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify distinct market segments based on several
environmental variables. Given the complexity and the range of variables that may determine the
characterisation of these groups, as was made evident in the literature review, it was decided to focus
this research mainly on analysing the environmental and demographic criteria.
Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected through a survey of Portuguese
consumers, aged over 18. The model of data collection was a survey conducted by self-administered
questionnaire. A total of 887 were considered valid (the final sample). The questionnaire is
composed of two sections. In the first part, data are collected about the demographic characteristics
of respondents. The second part examines the environmental dimension (concern, affect, knowledge,
environmentally friendly behaviours, information search, activism, green products buying
behaviour, sensitivity to price, waste separation/recycling, perceived efficiency, scepticism, etc.).
After collection, the data were statistically analysed and interpreted using the statistical software
Statistical Package for Social Sciences 15.0. The data obtained were submitted to a multivariate
statistical analysis, which included the following sequence of statistical treatment: factor analysis,
cluster analysis and discriminant analysis. After this, a characterisation was made of the segments
found.
Findings – The results of this study show that there are consumers who buy green products
and that certain environmental and demographic variables are significant for differentiating
between the “greener” segment and the other segments. Yet, generally speaking, one is left with
the impression that the Portuguese, despite their support for policies designed to improve the
environment, do not translate their concerns into actions: they rarely join environmentalist
associations and they do not take part in policy making. Their participation is often based on
protecting the environment by saving electricity and water, which shows that these concerns may
be more closely related with economic factors than with an environmental consciousness. It can
be concluded that Portuguese consumers understand the challenges currently placed before the
environment, and that they are aware of the existence of environmental problems, even though
their concerns are not always translated into environmentally friendly behaviour. It was also
noted that there are consumers who are prepared to base their buying decisions on purchasing
products that do not harm the environment. In fact, it was seen that there is a segment of
“greener” consumers in the sample that differs significantly in some aspects from the other
market segments.
Originality/value – The importance of market segmentation is highlighted, together with a
presentation of the most relevant criteria for differentiating individuals in terms of their environmental
behaviour. The results of this study show that there are consumers who buy green products and that
certain environmental and demographic variables are significant for differentiating between the
“greener” segment and the other segments.
Keywords Consumer behaviour, Market segmentation, Green marketing, Portugal
Paper type Research paper
Introduction “Green”
Expressions such as “decade of the environment” or “the Earth decade” have been segmentation
associated to the 1990s. During this decade, social and environmental concerns took on
great importance for consumer purchasing decisions (Prothero, 1996; Menon et al.,
1999). At the same time, firms seeking to remain competitive started to incorporate
these newly-emerging concerns in their management and marketing decision-making
(Straughan and Roberts, 1999; Rivera-Camino, 2007). 365
Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the relationship between consumer
behaviour, marketing and the environment. Such attention has been manifested in two
ways: on the one hand, there has been an increase in public awareness about
environmental aspects, and, on the other hand, an increase in the evidence of
environmental responsibility or green marketing activities.
Nowadays also the consumers seem to be more concerned about the environment.
Such concerns have begun to be displayed in their purchasing patterns, with consumers
increasingly preferring to buy the “environmentally friendly products”. This trend
favoured the emergence of a new segment of consumers: the green or ecological
consumers.
The study here reported applies the green market segmentation concept to
consumer market in Portugal. The paper starts by presenting a brief contextualisation
of the concept of green marketing, as well as some alternative ways of characterising
this concept. Next, the importance of market segmentation is highlighted, together with
a presentation of the most relevant criteria for differentiating individuals in terms of
their environmental behaviour. Relevant aspects of the research methodology are
afterwards presented, as well as the empirical results and respective conclusions.

Segmentation of the green consumer market

The first attempts by researchers to establish a relationship between marketing and
the environment were made in the early 1970s by authors such as Kassarjain (1971),
Fisk (1973) and Kinnear et al. (1974). For Webster (1975) and Kilbourne and Beckmann
(1998), in these first works, focus was laid on the study of environmentally concerned
consumers.
In 1975, the first workshop organised by American Marketing Association on
“Ecological Marketing” took place. This workshop resulted in one of the first books on
green marketing – Ecological Marketing by Henion and Kinnear (1976).
This publication was preceded by another book by Fisk (1974) – Marketing and the
Ecological Crisis.
After a period of intense academic activity centred upon environmental questions, there
was also an increase in legislation and greater intervention on the part of governments with
the aim of protecting the environment (Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995; Baksi and Bose, 2007).
As far as the conceptual aspects related with green marketing are concerned,
Kilbourne (1995) suggests that there has been an anomalous development in this specific
field of study. Research tends to be fragmented and very specific, sharing common aims
and focusing on the identification of the environmental consciousness of consumers or
on the development of scales for measuring the level of environmental concern.
However, the following green marketing definition seems to be generally acceptable:
“the holistic management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and
MIP satisfying the needs of customers and society, in a profitable and sustainable way”
27,3 (Peattie and Charter, 1997, p. 389).
In this sense, market orientation and market segmentation appear as aspects to
which the marketer must pay special attention. The growing number of organisations
entering in the green market points to the need for suitable segmentation, targeting and
positioning strategies.
366 One of the major issues in segmentation research was pointed by Wind (1978): the
discrepancy between the academic developments and the practice. Sometimes there are
problems related to its implementation in real world.
There is some literature that critiques the relevance of segmentation approaches for
the green consumer market. On one side, there are authors that feel that traditional
market segmentation is not appropriate. For example, Straughan and Roberts’ (1999)
findings indicate that, despite a relevant amount of past research attention,
demographic criteria are not as useful a profiling method as psychographic criteria. On
the other side, some authors question its usefulness as an approach to green marketing.
Additional constructs examined by Straughan and Roberts (1999) suggest that
environmental segmentation alternatives are more stable than past profiles that have
relied primarily on demographic criteria.
A common topic across many studies in green marketing area is the attempt to define
the characteristics of green consumers for segmentation purposes. This research has
not always yielded robustly indicative results, and the results produced in one study
have been frequently contradicted in another. The main segmentation tools that have
been used include demographics with a view to aligning consumers’ characteristics
with their propensity to purchase green products (McDonald and Oates, 2006).
Nevertheless, in the authors’ opinion, academics and practitioners should apply its
segmentation lessons to the formulation of marketing strategy decisions as targeting
and positioning.

“Green” segmentation criteria

The market segmentation process includes the selection of a set of variables or
characteristics used to assign individuals to homogeneous groups. The resulting
segments can be easily defined by reference to such readily observable descriptive
characteristics as geographic location or demographic characteristics. Difficulty in
choosing the proper segmentation base or criteria stems from the fact that many
segments cannot be detected in the market place in its original form.
In this section, we will try to provide an overall perspective of the various segmentation
bases and their respective variables. Specifically, the demographic/socioeconomic,
psychographic and behavioural criteria will be examined, as well as segmentation criteria
directly related with the environmental variables.
The age variable has been explored in several green marketing researches
(Anderson et al. (1974), Samdahl and Robertson (1989), Roberts (1996), Jain and Kaur
(2006), D’Souza et al. (2007)). However, discussion of the pertinence of this variable for
distinguishing between green consumers and other consumers has not always enjoyed
general agreement. On the one hand, there are studies suggesting that there is no
significant correlation between age and environmental attitudes/behaviour (Kinnear
et al., 1974). Others suggest that there is a significant and negative correlation
(Anderson et al., 1974; Zimmer et al., 1994), while yet others have found a significant
and positive correlation between age and environmental sensitivity and behaviour “Green”
(Samdahl and Robertson, 1989; Roberts, 1996). segmentation
The development of the roles, skills and attitudes assumed by each gender has led
many researchers to argue that women are more likely to present pro-environmental
behaviour (Straughan and Roberts, 1999). But the results obtained in relation to this
variable have not always produced similar results. For example, some studies agree
when they conclude that women are more aware of and concerned with the 367
environment than men (Berkowitz and Lutterman, 1968; Webster, 1975; Banerjee and
McKeage, 1994). Mainieri and Barnett (1997) state that women tend to be more
pro-environmental than men, insofar as they buy more green products and participate
more in the separation of packages for recycling, but they did not find any significant
differences between the two genders in terms of their participation in activities for the
conservation of natural resources or participation in environmentalist groups.
Individuals with greater training and higher educational levels, and consequently
enjoying access to more information, are expected to display greater concern, acting
more frequently in favour of the environment. For example, Granzin and Olsen (1991)
found that there was a positive relationship between the variable education and the
variable “walking for environmental reasons” (instead of using a car). However, this
variable’s explanatory capacity is not confirmed by other studies (Mainieri and
Barnett, 1997).
It is generally believed that income is positively correlated with environmental
sensitivity. The most common justification for this situation is based on the fact that
individuals with a higher income level can more easily bear the marginal increase in
the costs associated with supporting “green causes” and buying green products
(Straughan and Roberts, 1999).
Hooley et al. (1998) stress the importance of analysing social class, since they believe
that the process of adopting new products/services and lifestyles varies according to
the social class to which the individual belongs. However, this variable has been
little used in studies of green marketing. The reasons may be related with some of the
criticisms that have been made, such as the fact that this variable is likely to give rise
to some confusion. Occupation, income, and educational level are some of the variables
that are correlated with social class, but which, in isolation, do not constitute or define
such a class. On the other hand, this type of classification ignores the individual’s
upward professional mobility (O’Shaughnessy, 1988).
Since the 1970s, variables relating to personality have been used in segmentation
studies, but, according to Cornwell and Schwepker (1995), two of these variables have
been given more attention than the others: locus of control (which describes the extent
to which the individual perceives that a reward or improvement depends on his
behaviour) and alienation (the individual’s feeling of being isolated from his
community, society or culture). The first variable was examined in some studies
relating to environmental concern (Henion and Wilson, 1976). In turn, the variable
alienation has been used in studies of pro-environmental behaviour (Balderjahn, 1988).
The variable values may also be included in the psychographic segmentation basis.
The studies undertaken by Homer and Kahle (1988) and McCarty and Shrum (1994)
helped to clarify the interrelationship between values, attitudes and environmental
behaviour. The research undertaken by Homer and Kahle (1988) provided the empirical
support about the hierarchical effect of the “value-attitude-behaviour” model in the
MIP case of ecological food. Individuals buying products of this type gave greater
27,3 importance to the values of internal orientation (self-realisation, happiness and fun, a
sense of completeness and self-respect) whereas those not buying them seemed to be
more geared towards external values (sense of belonging, being respected and safety).
In the case of the variable attitude, the attitudes of green consumers must, by
definition, express environmental concern (Kinnear et al., 1974). Research has shown
368 that environmental concern is related, but not highly correlated, with consumer
behaviour (Cornwell and Schwepker, 1995). In his study, Balderjahn (1988) concluded
that individuals who had a positive attitude towards the environment participated
more in the buying and consumption of green products.
Consumers do not always base their buying decisions on their attitudes towards the
environment, even though these attitudes can have a fairly strong influence on their
purchases (Vlosky et al., 1999). Several studies have investigated the relationship
between attitudes towards the environment and the buying of products (Rios et al.,
2006) or the intentions of use (Alwitt and Berger, 1993). It seems that the more closely
involved that consumers are with the environment, the more likely they are to buy
green products (Schuhwerk and Lefkokk-Hagius, 1995).
Environmental concern may be defined as an attitude that is related to
environmental consequences (Antonides and van Raaij, 1998). This attitude is
influenced by direct personal experiences, by the experiences of other individuals and
by the communication produced by the media. It results in environmentally friendly
behaviour based on a number of conditions such as price, the performance of the
product, social norms and knowledge about the environment. In their formulation of an
environmental concern measurement scale, Kinnear and Taylor (1973) also stressed
that the level of environmental concern demonstrated by an individual is related to his
attitude and behaviour. For Maloney et al. (1975), environmental concern refers to the
degree of emotionality, level of knowledge and readiness to change behaviour.
Another factor that the literature review showed to be important and fairly
influential in the relationship between environmental knowledge, attitude and
behaviour is the so-called perceived behavioural control (PBC). This variable reflects
the extent to which the consumer believes that his participation may be effective in the
preservation of the environment. Consumers with a high PBC have a more intense
environmental behaviour (de Pelsmacker et al., 2002). For example, the study
performed by Straughan and Roberts (1999) suggests that individuals who are
concerned about the environment will only display a more proactive behaviour if they
feel that their individual action may be effective in solving environmental problems.
However, there are contradictory studies that have shown the existence of a causal
relationship with low levels of correlation (Antil, 1984).
Environmental knowledge refers to “how much” an individual knows about
environmental issues (Chan, 1999). The variable environmental knowledge has been
recognised by marketing research as a factor that influences every phase of the buying
decision process. Knowledge is an important concept that affects the way in which
consumers gather and organise information and determines how they evaluate
products and services (Laroche et al., 2001). Nevertheless, the empirical evidence
supporting the influence of environmental knowledge on behaviour is contradictory
(Martin and Simintiras, 1995). On the one hand, Maloney and Ward (1973) reported that
there was no significant link between environmental knowledge and favourable
environmental behaviour. On the other hand, Chan (1999) showed that knowledge “Green”
about environmental issues was a variable that was fairly useful for predicting segmentation
favourable environmental behaviour.
Environmental affect refers to the degree of emotionality that an individual displays
in relation to environmental issues (Chan, 1999). There seems to be consistent empirical
evidence supporting the positive association between environmental affect and
environmental behaviour (Maloney and Ward, 1973; Chan and Yam, 1995). These 369
studies also show that individuals with a low level of environmental knowledge may
nonetheless exhibit a close emotional relationship with the environment. In the case of
the research undertaken by Chan (1999), the author noted that Chinese consumers
demonstrated a powerful environmental affect, but that their actions in defence of the
environment were still insignificant.
Another of the factors that is recognised as preceding pro-environmental behaviour
is ecological consciousness (Schlegelmilch and Bohlen, 1996; Mostafa, 2007). Such
consciousness is sustained by a “new consumer” prepared to transfer his concern with
nature to his consumption decisions. However, there appears to be no consensus in the
literature about the conceptual boundaries of this concept, due, on the one hand, to the
heterogeneous approaches that make use of it (psychology, sociology, political science,
etc.) and, on the other hand, to its different contextual applications (consumption of
green products, energy saving, recycling, etc.).
In order to synthesise this information, based on the literature review undertaken,
Table I shows the main criteria and respective segmentation variables that may be
used to segment the green consumer market.

Criteria Variables Studies

Demographic Age, gender, family dimension,
religion, subculture, education, job or
occupation, income, social class,
habitation type
Psychographic Lifestyle, personality, motivation,
values
Behavioural Knowledge, attitude, product usage,
purchase behaviour, brand loyalty,
benefits
Environmental Concern, PBC, knowledge, affect,
commitment, ecological consciousness,
subjective norms, activism,
environmentally friendly behaviour,
green products buying behaviour,
information search, willingness to pay,
recycling, scepticism towards
environmental claims
Anderson et al. (1974), Banerjee and
McKeage (1994), D’Souza et al. (2007),
Jain and Kaur (2006), Laroche et al.
(2001), Mainieri and Barnett (1997),
Roberts (1996), Samdahl and
Robertson (1989) and Webster (1975)
Cornwell and Schwepker (1995),
McCarty and Shrum (1994), Straughan
and Roberts (1999) and Vlosky et al.
(1999)
Alwitt and Berger (1993), Balderjahn
(1988), Cornwell and Schwepker
(1995), Kinnear et al. (1974), Rios et al.
(2006) and Schuhwerk and
Lefkokk-Hagius (1995)
Antonides and van Raaij (1998), Chan
and Yam (1995), de Pelsmacker et al.
(2002), Maloney and Ward (1973),
Maloney et al. (1975), Martin and
Simintiras (1995), Mostafa (2007) and Table I.
Schlegelmilch and Bohlen (1996) Segmentation studies
of the green consumer
market
MIP Research methodology
27,3 What the previous bibliographical study of the segmentation of the green market has
highlighted is the fact that the various types of consumers may have different concerns
and emotional attachments towards the environment, different environmental
knowledge and different environmentally friendly behaviours.
As was mentioned earlier, this paper seeks to identify different segments of
370 consumers. Given the complexity and the range of variables that may determine the
characterisation of these groups, as was made evident in the literature review, it was
decided to focus this research mainly on analysing the environmental and
demographic criteria.
The choice of the proper segmentation base depends on, as Wedel and Kamakura
(2000) state, the purpose of the study and the market in question, as well as the
selection of segmentation methods. The behavioural variables related with the
environment can be an efficient predictor of future consumer behaviour.
The data were collected through a survey of Portuguese consumers, aged over 18.
The model of data collection was a survey conducted by self-administered
questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered by a group of well-trained
research assistants (university students) to a convenience sample. A total of 887
questionnaires were considered valid (the final sample).
The questionnaire is composed of two sections. In the first part, data are collected
about the demographic characteristics of respondents. The second part examines the
environmental dimension (concern, affect, knowledge, environmentally friendly
behaviours, information search, activism, green products buying behaviour,
sensitivity to price, waste separation/recycling, perceived efficiency, scepticism, etc.).
After collection, the data were statistically analysed and interpreted using
the statistical software Statistical Package for Social Sciences 15.0. The data obtained
were submitted to a multivariate statistical analysis, which included the following
sequence of statistical treatment: factor analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant
analysis. After this, a characterisation was made of the segments found.

Results
Based on the fact that there are differences between individuals in regard to their
pro-environmental behaviour and attitudes, and that the number of variables used in
this research is quite extensive, an exploratory factor analysis was used to simplify the
interpretation of the variables.
In order to carry out the factor analysis, the principal components method was used
to extract the factors. The variables were grouped into nine factors and, all together,
account for 57.37 per cent of the total variance. In order to facilitate the understanding
and interpretation of the results, the factors were rotated using the Varimax method.
The description of the factors is shown in Table II.
As can be seen, according to the score obtained in the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure,
the results of the analysis can be considered excellent (Kaiser, 1974). Bartlett’s test of
sphericity has a significance level of 0.000, showing that there is a high degree of
correlation between the variables, which means that the factor analysis was suitable
(Hair et al., 1998).
After using factor analysis to determine the factors that were relevant to the study,
these were then used as inputs in later analyses. Choosing the number of individual

Factors
Environmentally friendly
buying behaviour
Environmental activism
Environmental knowledge
Environmental concern
Recycling
Perceived consumer
effectiveness
Resource saving
Economic factor
Scepticism towards
environmental claims
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy
Bartlett’s test of sphericity
Significance
“Green”
Description
segmentation
The first factor reflects a tendency for consumers to be careful
when shopping, buying more energy-efficient, less polluting,
environmentally friendly, recycled and biodegradable products, as
well as products whose packaging causes less harm to the
environment 371
The second factor essentially brings together the variables related
with the interest in and search for information, collaboration with
environmentalist organisations and an active participation in
protests held in defence of environmental causes
In the third factor, the variables are related with the knowledge of
practices that do not harm the environment, knowledge about
aspects as the “greenhouse effect”, “acid rain” or the “hole in the
ozone layer”
The variables presented in the fourth factor are related with the
concern about the various aspects of pollution (air pollution,
problem of ozone depletion, pollution caused by industries, etc.)
The variables include in this factor are related with the separation
of packages, the availability/willingness to take them to recycling
collection points and the attempt to encourage others to behave in a
similar way
The sixth factor presents a mixture of variables which, on the one
hand, relate to the concern about environmental problems and the
unwillingness to believe that such problems will sort themselves
out alone and, on the other hand, the personal stance that is linked
to the propensity to believe that individual action can help to solve
these problems
The seventh factor includes variables that may reflect an
environmentally friendly behaviour, since they relate to the saving
of energy resources and the attempt to reduce the quantity of
rubbish produced
The variables related to the willingness to pay a higher price for
green products and to pay more taxes in order to protect the
environment, as well as the greater concern with the environment
in detriment to the economy, are grouped together in the eighth
factor
In the case of the ninth factor, it can be seen that the emphasis is
laid on consumer reactions to the promotional messages and claims
made by firms at the level of advertising, packaging and labelling
0.9291
8743.1 Table II.
0.000 Description of the factors

segments to break out of the collected and analysed data is one of the most complex
decisions to be made in segmentation. The most important consideration is that the
resulting segments should be comprehensible and usable in practice.
After analysing the percentage variation of the agglomeration coefficient, it was
decided to opt for a three-cluster solution (Table III). The cluster method used was
Ward’s method and the interval measure was the Squared Euclidian distance.
The variables showing the highest positive or negative scores in absolute terms
help to explain the inclusion of consumers in the different groups or clusters.
 27,3
MIP

372

Table III.
Cluster analysis results
Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3
n ¼ 319 (36.0%) n ¼ 311 (35.1%) n ¼ 25 (29.0%)
Variables Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD

Environmentally friendly buying behaviour 2 0.3432 1.1392 0.4424 0.7501 20.1094 0.8781
Environmental activism 2 0.3455 0.8244 0.1938 1.0843 0.1943 0.9802
Environmental knowledge 0.3075 0.8940 0.2168 0.7613 20.6441 1.0839
Environmental concern 0.0317 1.0134 0.1512 0.8345 20.2224 1.1239
Recycling 2 0.3128 1.1556 0.3094 0.7576 0.0139 0.9320
Perceived consumer effectiveness 2 0.0166 0.9422 0.4651 0.7838 20.5423 1.0276
Resource saving 2 0.2660 1.0856 0.2740 0.7895 20.0014 1.0309
Economic factor 2 0.1732 1.0146 0.2865 0.9656 20.1317 0.9480
Scepticism towards environmental claims 0.0085 1.0168 20.0643 1.0640 0.0673 0.8923
After the “optimum” number of clusters had been found, several tests were carried out “Green”
in order to discover if there were any significant differences between the groups. For segmentation
this reason, it was decided to use one-way variance analysis and discriminant analysis.
By observing the results in column F of Table IV, it can be seen that these allowed us to
reject the null hypothesis of equal means among the groups and to accept the alternative
hypothesis, since the groups displayed different means. Excluded from this situation was
the variable “Scepticism towards environmental claims”. All the other variables, when 373
considered individually, are significant for differentiating between the groups.
The Wilks’ l test statistic is designed to determine the discriminant function that
maximises the quotient between the variation explained by the difference between the
group means and the variation within these groups. The result obtained suggests that
the variable “Environmental knowledge” is the one that provides the greatest
difference between the means of the clusters, since it presents the lowest score.
The discriminant analysis that was undertaken made it possible to find two
discriminant functions (Table V). The differences between the clusters may be
analysed on the basis of the loadings of these functions.
The statistical significance of the functions is represented by the value of the Wilks’
l test statistic, which, when transformed into a x 2, has a significance level of 0.000.
This shows that the functions are significant for discriminating between the groups
found (Mitchell, 1994).
Table VI presents the classification results, in which the number of individuals
correctly and incorrectly classified is shown for each group. The correctly classified
cases are to be found by reading the table diagonally from left to right. The number
of incorrectly classified individuals is relatively small, whereas it can be seen that
77.3 per cent were correctly classified.
In order to complement the characterisation of the groups found, a bivariate
analysis was undertaken, in which various cross-tables were carried out. In order to

Variables Wilks’ l F Significance

Environmentally friendly buying behaviour 0.885 57.197 0.000

Environmental activism 0.933 31.797 0.000
Environmental knowledge 0.829 91.095 0.000
Environmental concern 0.977 10.282 0.000
Recycling 0.931 32.708 0.000
Perceived consumer effectiveness 0.839 85.017 0.000
Resource saving 0.948 24.161 0.000 Table IV.
Economic factor 0.955 20.651 0.000 Tests of equality
Scepticism towards environmental claims 0.997 1.238 0.290 of group means

Functions Eigenvalue Wilks’ l x2 df Significance

Table V.
1 0.742 0.414 776.053 18 0.000 Canonical discriminant
2 0.387 0.721 287.793 8 0.000 functions
MIP analyse the significance of the demographic characteristics in the differentiation of the
27,3 groups, a Pearson’s test was performed. The results are presented in Table VII.
In this case, it can be seen that the variables “age”, “education” and “income”[1] are
significant for differentiating between the groups. The variable “occupation” is also
significant, but it must be analysed with some caution, since some cells present less
than five observations. The variable “gender” is not significant for differentiating
374 between the groups.
The findings about the demographic variables have been somewhat equivocal.
Some of the researchers found non-significant relationships between the different
demographic variables and green attitudes and behaviours. Others have found the
relationship to be significant and negatively correlated with environmental sensitivity.
Still others have found the relationship to be significant, but positively correlated.
For instance, Laroche et al. (2001) state that the variable gender is significant to
differentiate the consumers that are willing to pay more for green products. Other
studies indicate precisely the opposite (Shrum et al., 1995). But in general, women tend
to be more environmentally conscious (Banarjee and McKeage, 1994). Even not being
significant, in this study, the “greener” segment groups the largest number of women.
Peattie (1998) states that the socio-demographics used to describe the green
consumer is misconceived and suggests that marketers should therefore be exploring
situational factors present in the behaviour. To profiling the various groups or
segments of consumers found, we had in mind this opinion, as well as the results
obtained previously, crossing the behavioural and the demographic variables. It was
thus decided that the three segments could be named as follows:
(1) “The uncommitted” (36 per cent): this segment mainly consists of young
people (aged between 18 and 34) and is the segment that includes younger
individuals with high educational levels (secondary and higher education),
service, sales and administrative workers and students, with monthly

Predicted group membership

Original group Count Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

Cluster 1 319 235 (73.7) 37 (11.6) 47 (14.7)

Cluster 2 311 33 (10.6) 241 (77.5) 37 (11.9)
Cluster 3 257 24 (9.3) 23 (8.9) 210 (81.7)
Total 887 292 301 294
Table VI.
Classifications matrix Note: Figures given parentheses are percentage

Variables Pearson’s x 2 df Significance

Gender 4.036 2 0.133

Age 57.865 8 0.000
Education 110.807 8 0.000
Occupation 91.141a 20 0.000
Income 27.409 10 0.002
Table VII.
x 2 tests (demographics) Notes: aIn two cells there are less than five observations; significance level 0.05
 incomes ranging from 500e to 1000e and living in urban areas. They have “Green”
very negative positions in relation to some environmental aspects (activism, segmentation
environmentally friendly buying behaviour, recycling, resource saving and
willingness to pay more to preserve the environment), despite the fact that
they claim to have knowledge about the issue.
(2) “The green activists” (35 per cent): is composed of individuals whose ages
range between 25 and 34 and between 45 and 54. Compared to the other 375
segments, this is the one that groups together those individuals with the
highest education levels (higher education), working in more qualified jobs
(middle and senior management and specialists from the intellectual, scientific
and artistic occupations) and earning higher incomes. They have a favourable
position in relation to all environmental aspects, particularly towards
perceived efficiency, environmentally friendly buying behaviour, recycling,
sensitivity to the economic factor and resource saving, but they show
themselves to be sceptical about the promotional and advertising claims made
by firms.
(3) “The undefined” (29 per cent): includes individuals from the higher age groups
and those with lower educational levels than the other segments, with monthly
incomes of up to 1000e. They have very negative positions towards
environmental issues, although they are activists, which is curious. They have
a positive attitude towards recycling and are highly sceptical about the
promotional and advertising claims made by firms. They claim to have little
knowledge about environmental issues. The environment does not occupy a
prominent position amongst their concerns and they consider that their
individual action does not contribute to the improvement of the environment.
This group seems to be very heterogeneous and contradictory. It is probable
that this could be connected with the halo effect.

Conclusions
This study can make a contribution to the implementation of segmentation strategies
based on specific environmental variables, by helping academics and practitioners to
better understand, explain and predict patterns of consumer behaviour.
As it was possible to observe that there are Portuguese consumers used to buy green
products and that certain environmental and demographic variables are significant for
differentiating between the “greener” segment and the other segments. These
consumers, despite their support for policies designed to improve the environment, do
not translate their concerns into actions: they rarely join environmentalist associations
and they do not take part in policy-making. Their participation is often based on
protecting the environment by saving electricity and water, which shows that these
concerns may be more closely related with economic factors than with an environmental
consciousness.
It can be concluded that Portuguese consumers understand the challenges currently
placed before the environment, and that they are aware of the existence of
environmental problems, even though their concerns are not always translated into
environmentally friendly behaviour. It was also noted that there are consumers who
are prepared to base their buying decisions on purchasing products that do not harm
MIP the environment. In fact, it was seen that there is a segment of “greener” consumers in
27,3 the sample that differs significantly in some aspects from the other market segments.
These segments should be analysed by firms in order to assess their attractiveness,
adopt a correct positioning towards them and define suitable marketing programmes.
The identification of the three market segments may make it possible to implement a
complex segmentation strategy, as this provides a differentiated range of consumer
376 perceptions and choices in relation to the target market.
It is therefore to be concluded that those firms that do not respond to the “green
challenge” with products that are safer for the environment will risk losing some
credibility in the eyes of those consumers who are more concerned with environmental
issues. In turn, those firms that use green marketing strategies will be able to take
advantage of the countless opportunities presented by environmental consumerism.
The results did demonstrate the suitability of the traditional K-means cluster
analysis, within the context of the current study. But more research is necessary, to be
confident about the most appropriate segmentation method and design for other
situations and contexts.
As in many research studies of consumer markets, a truly representative sample
was difficult to achieve. It cannot be claimed that there was no sampling bias. The size
of the sample was acceptable, and similar to other studies about consumer research.
Given this context of the study, its outcomes and implications must be generalized
cautiously.

Note
1. National average 840e in 2007.

References
Alwitt, L. and Berger, I. (1993), “Understanding the link between environmental attitudes
and consumer product usage: measuring the moderating role of attitude strength”,
in McAlister, L. and Rothschild, M. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 20,
Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 189-94.
Anderson, W., Henion, K. and Cox, E. (1974), “Socially vs. ecologically concerned consumers”,
1974 Combined Proceedings, American Marketing Association, Chicago, IL.
Antil, J. (1984), “Socially responsible consumers: profile and implications for public policy”,
Journal of Macromarketing, Fall, pp. 18-39.
Antonides, G. and van Raaij, F. (1998), Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective, Wiley,
Chichester.
Baksi, S. and Bose, P. (2007), “Credence goods, efficient labelling policies, and regulatory
enforcement”, Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 411-31.
Balderjahn, I. (1988), “Personality variables and environmental attitudes as predictors of
ecologically responsible consumption patterns”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 17,
pp. 51-6.
Banerjee, S. and McKeage, K. (1994), “How green is my value: exploring the relationship between
environmentalism and materialism”, in Allen, C.T. and John, D.R. (Eds), Advances in
Consumer Research, Vol. 21, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 147-52.
Berkowitz, L. and Lutterman, K. (1968), “The traditional socially responsible personality”, Public
Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 32, pp. 169-85.
Chan, R. (1999), “Environmental attitudes and behavior of consumers in China: survey findings “Green”
and implications”, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 25-52.
segmentation
Chan, R. and Yam, E. (1995), “Green movement in a newly industrializing area: a survey on the
attitudes and behavior of Hong Kong citizens”, Journal of Community & Applied Social
Psychology, Vol. 5, pp. 273-84.
Cornwell, T. and Schwepker, C. (1995), “Ecologically concerned consumers and their product
purchases”, in Polonsky, M. and Mintu-Wimsatt, A. (Eds), Environmental Marketing: 377
Strategies, Practice, Theory and Research, The Haworth Press, New York, NY.
de Pelsmacker, P., Janssens, W. and Geuens, M. (2002), “Environmentally friendly behaviour
with respect to air pollution: the role of environmental knowledge, concern and perceived
behavioural control”, in Farhangmehr, Minno (Ed.), Proceedings of the 31st EMAC
Conference, Universidade do Minho, Braga.
D’Souza, C., Taghian, M., Lamb, P. and Peretiatkos, R. (2007), “Green decisions: demographics
and consumer understanding of environmental labels”, International Journal of Consumer
Studies, Vol. 31 No. 4, p. 371.
Fisk, G. (1973), “Criteria for a theory of responsible consumption”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37
No. 2, pp. 24-31.
Fisk, G. (1974), Marketing and the Ecological Crisis, Harper & Row Publishers, New York, NY.
Granzin, K. and Olsen, J. (1991), “Characterising participants in activities protecting the
environment: a focus on donating, recycling and conservation behaviours”, Journal of
Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 1-27.
Hair, J., Anderson, R., Tatham, R. and Black, W. (1998), Multivariate Data Analysis, 5th ed.,
Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Henion, K. and Kinnear, T. (1976), Ecological Marketing, American Marketing Association,
Columbus, OH.
Henion, K. and Wilson, W. (1976), “The ecologically concerned consumer and locus of control”,
in Henion, K. and Kinnear, T. (Eds), Ecological Marketing, American Marketing
Association, Columbus, OH.
Homer, P. and Kahle, L. (1988), “A structural equation test of value-attitude-behaviour
hierarchy”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 54 No. 4, pp. 638-46.
Hooley, G., Saunders, V. and Pierry, N. (1998), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning,
2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, Harlow.
Jain, S. and Kaur, G. (2006), “Role of socio-demographics in segmenting and profiling green
consumers: an exploratory study of consumers in India”, Journal of International
Consumer Marketing, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 107-17.
Kaiser, H. (1974), “An index of factorial simplicity”, Psychometrika, Vol. 39, pp. 31-6.
Kassarjain, H. (1971), “Incorporating ecology into marketing strategy: the case of air pollution”,
Journal of Marketing, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 61-5.
Kilbourne, W. (1995), “Green advertisement: salvation or oxymoron?”, Journal of Advertisement,
Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 7-19.
Kilbourne, W. and Beckmann, S. (1998), “Review and critical assessment of research on marketing
and the environment”, Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 513-32.
Kinnear, T. and Taylor, J. (1973), “The effects of ecological concern on brand perceptions”,
Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 10, pp. 191-7.
Kinnear, T., Taylor, J. and Ahmed, S. (1974), “Ecologically concerned consumers: who are they?”,
Journal of Marketing, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 20-4.
MIP Laroche, M., Bergeron, J. and Barbaro-Forleo, G. (2001), “Targeting consumers who are willing to
pay more for environmentally friendly products”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 18
27,3 No. 6, pp. 503-20.
McCarty, J. and Shrum, L. (1994), “The recycling of solid wastes: personal values, value
orientations and attitudes about recycling as antecedents of recycling behaviour”, Journal
of Business Research, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 53-62.
378 McDonald, S. and Oates, C. (2006), “Sustainability: consumer perceptions and marketing
strategies”, Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 157-70.
Mainieri, T. and Barnett, E. (1997), “Green buying: the influence of environmental concern on
consumer behaviour”, Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 137 No. 2, pp. 189-204.
Maloney, M. and Ward, M. (1973), “Ecology: let’s hear from the people – an objective scale for the
measurement of ecological attitudes and knowledge”, American Psychologist, Vol. 28,
pp. 583-6.
Maloney, M., Ward, M. and Braucht, N. (1975), “Psychology in action: a revised scale for the
measurement of ecological attitudes and knowledge”, American Psychologist, July, pp. 787-90.
Martin, B. and Simintiras, A. (1995), “The impact of green product lines on the environment: does
what they know affect how they feel?”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 13 No. 4,
pp. 16-23.
Menon, A., Menon, A., Chowdhury, J. and Jankovich, J. (1999), “Evolving paradigm for
environmental sensitivity in marketing programs: a synthesis of theory and practice”,
Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 1-15.
Mitchell, V.-W. (1994), “How to identify psychographic segments: part II”, Marketing Intelligence
& Planning, Vol. 12 No. 7, pp. 11-17.
Mostafa, M. (2007), “A hierarchical analysis of the green consciousness of the Egyptian
consumer”, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 445-56.
O’Shaughnessy, J. (1988), Competitive Marketing: A Strategic Approach, Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Peattie, K. (1998), “Golden goose or wild goose? The hunt for the green consumer”, Proceedings of
the Business Strategy and the Environment Conference, ERP, Shipley.
Peattie, K. and Charter, M. (1997), “Green marketing”, in McDonagh, P. and Prothero, A. (Eds),
Green Management, The Dryden Press, New York, NY, pp. 388-412.
Prothero, A. (1996), “Environmental decision making: research issues in the cosmetics and
toiletries industry”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 19-25.
Rios, F., Martı́nez, T., Moreno, F. and Soriano, P. (2006), “Improving attitudes toward brands
with environmental associations: an experimental approach”, The Journal of Consumer
Marketing, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 26-34.
Rivera-Camino, J. (2007), “Re-evaluating green marketing strategy: a stakeholder perspective”,
European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 41 Nos 11/12, p. 1328.
Roberts, J. (1996), “Green consumers in the 1990s: profile and implications for advertising”,
Journal of Business Research, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 217-32.
Samdahl, D. and Robertson, R. (1989), “Social determinants of environmental concern:
specification and test of the model”, Environment & Behavior, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 57-81.
Schlegelmilch, B. and Bohlen, G. (1996), “The link between green purchasing decisions and
measures of environmental consciousness”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30 No. 5,
pp. 35-55.
Schuhwerk, M. and Lefkokk-Hagius, R. (1995), “Green or not-green? Does type of appeal matter “Green”
when advertising a green product?”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 24, pp. 45-55.
Sheth, J. and Parvatiyar, A. (1995), “Ecological imperatives and the role of marketing”,
segmentation
in Polonsky, M. and Mintu-Wimsatt, A. (Eds), Environmental Marketing: Strategies,
Practice, Theory and Research, Haworth Press, New York, NY.
Shrum, L., McCarty, J. and Lowrey, T. (1995), “Buyer characteristics of the green consumer and
their implications for advertising strategy”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 71-82. 379
Straughan, R. and Roberts, J. (1999), “Environmental segmentation alternatives: a look at green
consumer behaviour in the new millennium”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 16 No. 6,
pp. 558-75.
Vlosky, R., Ozanne, L. and Fontenot, R. (1999), “A conceptual model of us consumer willingness
to pay for environmental certified wood products”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 16
No. 2, pp. 122-40.
Webster, F. (1975), “Determining the characteristics of socially conscious consumer”, Journal of
Consumer Research, Vol. 2 No. 12, pp. 188-96.
Wedel, M. and Kamakura, W. (2000), Market Segmentation: Conceptual and Methodological
Foundations, 2nd ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA.
Wind, Y. (1978), “Issues and advances in segmentation research”, Journal of Marketing Research,
Vol. 15, pp. 317-37.
Zimmer, M., Stafford, T. and Stafford, M. (1994), “Green issues: dimensions of environmental
concern”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 63-74.

Corresponding author
Arminda do Paço can be contacted at: apaco@ubi.pt

To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com

Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints