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Previous research investigated the impact of psychosocial predictors (e.g. attitude, social and moral norm, perceived behavioral control, intention) on sustainable clothing purchasing. To date, no studies considered whether proenvironmental self-identity moderates the effects of these predictors on behavior. In this study, we adopted an intrapersonal approach and a longitudinal design to assess the moderating role of proenvironmental self-identity in predicting intentions and behaviors, considering gender differences. 250 participants completed an initial questionnaire on the predictors of three sustainable clothing purchasing. A month later, they filled out a second questionnaire to self-assess these behaviors. The results showed that social and internalized norms (moral norms) were notably influential of participants’ intentions. Affective attitude influenced behavior positively, while cognitive attitude had a negative influence. When considering the moderating role of proenvironmental self-identity, significant gender differences emerged. Women with a weak proenvironmental self-identity expressed a higher intention to purchase sustainable clothing when they had high affective attitudes and descriptive norm but low cognitive attitudes. Women with a strong proenvironmental self-identity intended to purchase sustainable clothing when they had high moral norms and cognitive attitudes but low descriptive norm. Man with a weak proenvironmental self-identity and high positive affective attitude increased their future SCP.

Background/Objectives: Legume-enriched foods are conventional products reformulated with the addition of legumes and, as such, represent a sustainable alternative to animal proteins. This study investigated the effectiveness of messages based on different food choice motives to encourage search, consumption, and future intention to consume these foods. Methods: The study involved a representative sample of 1361 Italian adults randomly assigned to one of seven experimental conditions (i.e., health, price, sensory appeal, natural content, convenience, sustainability, mood) or a control condition. Participants received three prefactual gain messages over one week. A moderated serial mediation model was estimated to test whether the effects of message exposure on future intention to consume were mediated by product search and consumption, and whether these effects varied according to participants’ baseline intention to replace animal food with plant-based alternatives (i.e., intenders vs. non-intenders). Results: Reading messages focusing on mood (B = 0.337, p = 0.021), sustainability (B = 0.441, p = 0.002), health (B = 0.333, p = 0.029), and convenience (B = 0.364, p = 0.017) were associated with increased intention to consume legume-enriched foods. However, only reading sustainability messages showed a positive serial indirect effect on intention via search and consumption (B = 0.036, p = 0.044), while reading mood messages was associated with increased intention via search only (B = 0.243, p = 0.048). Among non-intenders, reading mood and health messages were associated with increased intention only when they first stimulated search behavior. Conversely, among intenders, only reading sustainability messages was associated with increased consumption. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the persuasive power of sustainability appeals in promoting legume-enriched food consumption and support the effectiveness of using recommendation messages tailored to the recipient’s stage of change in terms of replacing animal food with plant-based alternatives.

To be really effective, conversational agents must integrate well with the characteristics of the humans with whom they interact. This exploratory study focuses on a method for integrating well-assessed methods from the field of social psychology in the design of task-oriented conversational agents in which the dialogue management module is developed through machine learning. In particular, the aim is to achieve agents whose policies could take into account the psychological features of the human interactants to deliver personalized and more effective messages. The paper presents the psychological study performed and outlines the overall theoretical architecture of the software framework proposed. On the psychosocial side, we first assessed the effectiveness of differently framed messages aimed to reducing red meat consumption taking the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the psychosocial model of reference. Turning to the machine learning field, the resulting Structural Equation Model (SEM) was first translated into a probabilistic predictor using Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN). In turn, such DBN became the fundamental element of a Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDP) in a reinforcement learning setting. The possibility to elicit complete interaction policies was then studied by applying Neural Monte Carlo Tree Search (Neural MCTS) methods. The results thus obtained introduce the possibility to develop new multidisciplinary and integrated techniques for the development of automated dialogue managing systems.

The present study focused on an environmental scandal that occurred in Italy, the Land of Fires toxic waste scandal, which caused consumer concerns related to the safety of food produced in the affected region, as well as massive market reduction in products associated with the polluted area. Based on a representative sample of Italian households (N = 1134), this study applied an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model to analyze consumer purchases of regional food products after this environmental hazard. In addition to attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, the model included risk perception, trust, and actual purchases. Using a structural equation model, our results provided support to the hypothesis that consumer perceptions of risk negatively impacted their purchase behaviors and suggested that increasing Italians’ trust in government information could reduce their perceived risk and, consequently, increase their intention to purchase regional food.

Although a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) provides several psychophysical health benefits, research on how to effectively promote MeDiet adherence is still lacking. In the present study, we tested the effectiveness of a messaging intervention aimed at promoting the adherence to the Mediterranean diet. A total of 435 Italian participants responded to a questionnaire on their eating self-efficacy and adherence to the MeDiet at Time 1. Then, participants were randomly assigned to three different conditions: (a) gain messages focused on the positive outcomes of MeDiet adherence; (b) non-loss messages focused on the avoided negative outcomes associated with MeDiet adherence; (c) no messages (control). After the 2 week intervention, participants answered some questions regarding their perception of threat and distress, evaluation of the messages, and adherence to the MeDiet at Time 2. We also tested whether the messaging intervention influenced participants’ MeDiet adherence at Time 2. Results confirmed that the messaging intervention enhanced the MeDiet adherence (F(2,432) = 4.61; p = 0.01, ηp2 = 0.02), with no difference between exposure to gain or non-loss messages (95% LLCI = −0.32; 95% ULCI = 0.54). We then tested whether message framing effectiveness was influenced by eating self-efficacy, and results showed that gain messages were more persuasive for participants with low eating self-efficacy (effect size = 0.01; p for interaction = 0.03). Discussion suggests that tailoring messages according to receivers’ psychological characteristics seems to be pivotal to enhance the persuasiveness of messages aimed at promoting the MeDiet adherence.

Although local food purchasing provides several benefits to both consumers and producers, research on what recommendation messages can effectively promote the purchase of local food is still lacking. In the present study, 410 participants were involved in a 2-week intervention relying on prefactual (i.e., “If … then”) messages promoting the purchase of local food. All messages were sent through a research app to participants’ mobile phones and were focused on environmental consequences of purchasing (or not purchasing) local food. Four experimental conditions involving messages differing as to outcome sensitivity framing (i.e., gain, non-loss, non-gain and loss) were compared to a control condition. To test the effectiveness of the messages, before and after the 2-week intervention participants were involved in a choice task. They were asked to choose among fruits with different provenience, that is, from the participants’ municipality of residence or abroad. Results showed that all message frames increased the selection of local food, compared to control. Furthermore, pro-environmental consumers were more persuaded by messages formulated in terms of gains and non-gains, whereas healthy consumers were more persuaded by messages formulated in terms of losses or non-losses. Discussion focuses on the advantages of tailored communication to promote the purchase of local food.

Excessive meat consumption is detrimental to personal health, the environment, and animal welfare. This study examined whether scenarios evoking anticipated pride for achieving, or anticipated guilt for failing, a meat reduction goal—focused on protecting health, the environment, or animal welfare—would affect participants’ anticipated emotions, desire and intention to eat less meat, and ultimately their selection of meat-based food. A between-subjects experimental design was used, with 380 participants randomly assigned to one of seven conditions (six experimental and one control conditions). Experimental scenarios varied by emotion (pride vs. guilt) and goal domain (health, environment, animal welfare), while the control condition focused on sugar reduction. Results showed that scenarios varied in effectiveness depending on the goal addressed and emotion elicited. Specifically, scenarios emphasizing pride for protecting health or the environment reduced meat selection directly, while pride for protecting animals and guilt for harming the environment reduced meat choice indirectly through positive anticipated emotions, desire, and intention. The guilt scenario about endangering animal welfare and the pride scenario for protecting the environment had a total negative effect. This study highlights that emotional appeals—particularly pride for achieving meat reduction goals—may serve as a promising lever for developing impactful communication strategies.

To reduce the environmental impact of food production has spurred the development of digital tools to promote sustainable eating, yet little research examined the psychosocial predictors of their adoption. This study addresses this gap by applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions as predictors of technology use. To enhance the model's predictiveness, we included variables from the Model of Goal-Directed Behavior-attitude, anticipated emotions, and desire- as well as sociodemographic factors. 511 participants completed an online survey in which they evaluated a customized app designed to promote sustainable eating. Results showed that performance expectancy was the strongest predictor of attitude, anticipated emotions, and intention, whereas effort expectancy was not. Social influence and facilitating conditions predicted desire, which in turn predicted intention, and thus led to app download. Facilitating conditions and emotions were more influencial for women, older participants showed a higher desire despite high effort expectation, and those with higher education levels downloaded the app more due its perceived ease of use. These findings suggest that developers should focus on enhancing the emotional appeal and perceived value of the app while addressing the users' diverse needs based on gender, age, and education.

In the present research, we analyzed how to promote a plant-based diet by involving 428 volunteers in a 2-week mobile app intervention. We compared messages promoting the addition of legumes versus messages promoting the replacement of meat with legumes. Messages were either combined or not combined with dynamic norms (i.e., information that more and more people are enacting the behavior). We compared these messages with a control condition (i.e., no message intervention) and we also analyzed the moderation effect of receivers’ identification with flexitarians (i.e., people who occasionally eat animal products) and attitudes towards them. In the short term, addition messages increased legume consumption more than replacement messages, especially in people with a negative evaluation of flexitarians and low identification with them. In the long term, increased legume consumption was recorded only when addition messages were combined with dynamic norms. As for meat consumption, the replacement messages were more effective in reducing it in the short term than in the long term, especially in people with positive attitudes towards flexitarians. However, replacement messages combined with dynamic norms were more effective in the long term than in the short term. These results advance our comprehension of how to tailor dietary messages.

We aimed to understand how to promote innovative technology in the sustainable fashion market. The case study was the advertisement of a feminine bag with a chain coated using a new technology. We invited 550 women to read an Instagram post. In the control condition, the post only described the new technology. In the informational condition, the post emphasized the resistance and durability of the bag. In the transformational condition, the post emphasized the innovativeness and exclusivity of the bag. In the sustainability condition, the post emphasized the low environmental impact of its production. Results showed that the sustainability advertisement was the most persuasive in terms of consumers’ involvement, systematic processing, and intention to buy the bag. In addition, reference to the functional benefits was an effective strategy to promote purchasing intention when consumers were interested in novelty and high quality, and when engaged in shopping for fun and enjoyment.