International Journal of Consumer Studies ISSN 1470-6423

Green consumer market segmentation: empirical findings

from Portugal
Arminda M. Finisterra do Paço and Mário Lino Barata Raposo
University of Beira Interior, Department of Business and Economics, NECE, Covilhã, Portugal

Keywords
Segmentation, green marketing, environment,
consumer behaviour.
Correspondence
Arminda M. Finisterra do Paço, University of
Beira Interior, Department of Business and
Economics, Research Unit NECE, Estrada do
Sineiro, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal.
E-mail: apaco@ubi.pt
doi: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2010.00869.x
Abstract
Concern with environmental degradation has led to a new segment of consumers: the
green or ecological consumers. Marketers must pay special attention to the needs of this
segment. The growing concern with the environment, increased competition and greater
selective- ness and demands of consumers represent an immediate challenge for green
marketing. This paper aims to identify distinct market segments based on several
environmental variables. It also investigates individuals’ behaviours and perceptions
about green consum- erism. The used methodology was the collection of primary
information through a direct survey. The study covered 887 Portuguese consumers, aged
over 18. The results show that certain environmental and demographic variables are
significant in differentiating between the ‘greener’ consumer group and the other
segments. Portuguese consumers, despite their support for policies designed to improve
the environment, do not always translate their concerns into environmentally friendly
actions. Possible implications of these results for firms’ marketing strategies are also
discussed.

Introduction sumers or on the development of scales for measuring the level

Over the last few decades, the world has seen an exponential
growth in the number of campaigns promoted by
environmentalist groups which focus on the subject of
environmental deterioration (Thogersen, 2006). Generally, such
campaigns are centred on themes relating to the protection and
conservation of the environ- ment and they have already begun to
exert an influence on con- sumer attitudes and behaviour. Some
authors have suggested that, in the future, the environment will
be the theme most widely discussed by governments,
organizations and consumers, and that such a discussion will
have a major impact on the thinking and behaviour of individuals
and society as a whole (Simintiras et al., 1994).
Several factors have contributed to the emergence and growth
of an environment protection movement, although it seems as
though none has been more important than the perception that
our planet is reaching extremely high saturation levels of
pollution (Iyer and Banerjee, 1993). Environmental concerns and
the demand by con- sumer groups for environmentally friendly
products have led to the emergence of a ‘new marketing
philosophy’, known as green marketing (McDonagh and Clark,
1995; Peattie and Charter, 1997).
In terms of the conceptual aspects relating to green marketing,
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 con-
International Journal of Consumer Studies 34 (2010) 429–436 © The Authors
Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
of environmental concern. Sometimes, it is also clear that the
existing literature is written from diverging perspectives (Carlson
et al., 1993; Davis, 1993).
This paper focuses on the identification of distinct market seg-
ments and also on the individuals’ behaviours and perceptions
about the green consumerism. It begins by presenting a brief
evolution of the concept of green marketing and examines some
alternative ways of characterizing this concept. Next, the impor-
tance of market segmentation is highlighted, together with a
presentation of the most relevant criteria for differentiating indi-
viduals in terms of their environmental behaviour. After this
contextualization, the most relevant aspects of the research meth-
odology are presented, as well as the empirical results and
respec- tive conclusions.
Concept and evolution of
green marketing
The first attempts by researchers to establish a relationship
between marketing and the environment were made in the early
1970s. Authors such as Kassarjain (1971), Fisk (1973) and
Kinnear et al. (1974) published the first papers relating to this
theme in the Journal of Marketing. For Webster (1975), in these
first attempts, stress was laid on the study of environmentally
concerned consumers. In turn, Dam and Apeldoorn (1996) show
that, at that time, attempts were also made to develop a more
social approach within the area of marketing. This idea opened
1
up the

2 International Journal of Consumer Studies 34 (2010) 429–436 © The Authors

Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
 A.M.F. do Paço and M.L.B. Raposo Green consumer market segmentation

possibility of marketing specialists providing a more active

agreement. On the one hand, there are studies suggesting that
response to social and environmental problems, changing social
there is no significant correlation between age and environmental
values and the emergence of a new consumer movement (Fisk,
attitudes/behaviour (Kinnear et al., 1974). Others suggest that
1974).
there is a significant and negative correlation (Anderson et al.,
In 1975, the first workshop organized by the American
1974; Van Liere and Dunlap, 1981; Zimmer et al., 1994), while
Market- ing Association on ‘Ecological Marketing’ took place. It
yet others have found a significant and positive correlation
resulted in one of the first books on green marketing –
between age and environmental sensitivity and behaviour
Ecological Market- ing by Henion and Kinnear (1976a) – and in
(Samdahl and Robertson, 1989).
a definition of eco- logical marketing as ‘the study of the positive
The development of the roles, skills and attitudes assumed by
and negative aspects of marketing activities on pollution, energy
each gender has led many researchers to argue that women are
depletion and nonen- ergy resource depletion’ (Henion and
more likely to present pro-environmental behaviour (Mostafa,
Kinnear, 1976b, p. 1). This publication was preceded by another
2007). But the results obtained in relation to this variable have
book by Fisk (1974) – Mar- keting and the Ecological Crisis –
not always produced similar results. For example, some studies
whose work at that time had a fairly powerful impact in
agree when they conclude that women are more aware of and
academic circles.
concerned with the environment than men (Berkowitz and Lut-
After a period of intense academic activity centred upon envi-
terman, 1968; Webster, 1975; Laroche et al., 2001). Mainieri and
ronmental questions, discussion of such matters declined consid-
Barnett (1997) state that women tend to be more pro-
erably in the second half of the 1970s, continuing in this same
environmental than men, insofar as they buy more green prod-
vein until the mid-1980s. This period also seems to have
ucts and participate more in the separation of packages for
coincided with an increase in legislation and greater intervention
recycling, but they did not find any significant differences
on the part of governments with the aim of protecting the
between the two genders in terms of their participation in activi-
environment (Dam and Apeldoorn, 1996; Baksi and Bose, 2007).
ties for the conservation of natural resources or participation in
The 1990s have been identified as the ‘decade of the environ-
environmentalist groups.
ment’ (Brown and Wahlers, 1998) or as the ‘the Earth decade’
Individuals with greater training and higher educational levels,
(McDaniel and Rylander, 1993). During this decade, social and
and consequently enjoying access to more information, are
environmental concerns assumed great importance for consumer
expected to display greater concern, acting more frequently in
purchasing decisions (Menon et al., 1999). Firms seeking to
favour of the environment. For example, Granzin and Olsen
remain competitive and to survive in the market began to incor-
(1991) found that there was a positive relationship between the
porate these newly emerging concerns in their management and
variable education and the variable ‘walking for environmental
marketing decision making (Menon et al., 1999; Straughan and
reasons’ (instead of using a car). However, this variable’s
Roberts, 1999; D’Souza et al., 2006; Rivera-Camino, 2007).
explana- tory capacity is not confirmed by other studies (Mainieri
Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the relationship
and Barnett, 1997).
between consumer behaviour, marketing and the environment.
It is generally believed that income is positively correlated
Such attention has been manifested in two ways: on the one hand,
with environmental sensitivity. The most common justification
there has been an increase in public awareness about
for this situation is based on the fact that individuals with a
environmen- tal aspects, and, on the other hand, an increase in
higher income level can more easily bear the marginal increase in
the evidence of environmental responsibility or green marketing
the costs associated with supporting ‘green causes’ and buying
activities. Thus, the increase in environmental consciousness and
green prod- ucts (Straughan and Roberts, 1999).
concern seems to be a good incentive for marketing decision
Hooley et al. (1998) stress the importance of analysing social
makers to adopt new management practices.
class since they believe that the process of adopting new
products/services and lifestyles varies according to the social
Segmentation of the green class to which the individual belongs. However, this variable has
consumer market been little used in studies of green marketing. The reasons for
this may be related with some of the criticisms that have been
To set a market segmentation process in motion, a set of variables made, such as the fact that this variable is likely to give rise to
was chosen to reflect the so-called segmentation bases or criteria some confusion. Occupation, income and educational level are
used to identify consumption patterns. Next, an attempt was some of the variables that are correlated with social class, but
made to set the segmentation bases and their respective variables these, in isolation, do not constitute or define such a class. Also,
in the context of the green consumer market. Specifically, the this type of classification ignores the individual’s upward pro-
demographic/socio-economic, as well as segmentation criteria fessional mobility.
directly related with the environmental variables, were examined.

Demographic criteria
The variable age has been explored by countless green marketing
researchers (see, for example, Anderson et al., 1974; Van Liere
and Dunlap, 1981; Samdahl and Robertson, 1989; Jain and Kaur,
2006; D’Souza et al., 2007, etc.). However, discussion of the per-
tinence of this variable for distinguishing between green consum-
ers and other consumers has not always enjoyed general
Environmental criteria
Environmental concern may be defined as an attitude that is
related to environmental consequences. This attitude is
influenced by direct personal experiences, by the experiences of
other indi- viduals and by the communication produced by the
media. It results in an 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
significant relationship between environmental intention and
their formulation of an environmental concern measurement
envi- ronmental behaviour (Maloney and Ward, 1973; Chan and
scale, Kinnear and Taylor (1973) also stressed that the level of
Yam, 1995; Haanpää, 2007).
environ- mental concern demonstrated by an individual is related
Ecological consciousness is another factor that precedes pro-
to his attitude and behaviour. For Maloney et al. (1975),
environmental behaviour (Schlegelmilch and Bohlen, 1996).
environmental concern refers to the degree of emotionality, level
Such consciousness is sustained by a ‘new consumer’ prepared to
of knowledge and readiness to change behaviour.
transfer his concern with nature to his consumption decisions.
Some research studies are based on the premise that people’s
However, there appears to be no consensus in the literature about
response to environmental appeals is increasingly linked to the
the conceptual boundaries of this concept, due, on the one hand,
belief that individuals can positively influence and contribute to
to the heterogeneous approaches that make use of it (psychology,
the solution of environmental problems (Ellen et al., 1991).
sociology, political science, etc.) and, on the other hand, to its
Perceived consumer effectiveness was one of the variables
different contextual applications (consumption of green products,
studied by Straughan and Roberts (1999), who concluded that
energy saving, recycling, etc.).
it was one of the variables that best explained ‘ecologically
conscious behaviour’. The results suggest that individuals who
are concerned about the environment will only display a more Research methodology
proactive behaviour if they feel that their individual action may
This literature review of the segmentation of the green market
be effective in solving environmental problems (Moisander,
has highlighted the fact that various types of consumers may have
2007).
different concerns and emotional attachments towards the envi-
Another factor that the literature review showed to be
ronment, different environmental knowledge and different envi-
important and fairly influential in the relationship between
ronmentally friendly behaviours.
environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour is the so-called
As was mentioned earlier, this paper seeks to identify different
Perceived behavioural control (PBC). This variable reflects the
segments of consumers. Given the complexity and the range of
extent to which consumers believe that their participation may be
variables that may determine the characterization of these groups,
effective in the preservation of the environment. Consumers with
it was decided to focus this research on analysing the
a high PBC have a more intense environmental behaviour (De
environmen- tal and demographic criteria.
Pels- macker et al., 2002). However, there are contradictory
In this sense we will try to answer to the following main
studies that have shown the existence of a causal relationship
research questions:
with low levels of correlation (Antil, 1984).
• It is possible to clearly identify, in Portugal, a ‘green’ consumer
Environmental knowledge refers to ‘how much’ an individual
segment?
knows about environmental issues (Chan, 1999). The variable
• Are there significant differences between that segment and the
environmental knowledge has been recognized by marketing
remaining groups in respect of the demographic characteristics?
research as a factor that influences every phase of the buying
The data were collected through a survey of Portuguese con-
decision process. Knowledge is an important concept that affects
sumers. The model of data collection was a survey conducted by
the way in which consumers gather and organize information and
self-administered questionnaire. We use a group of 55
determines how they evaluate products and services (Laroche
interviewers (university students), who had been trained in the
et al., 2001). Nevertheless, the empirical evidence supporting the
objectives of the study and technical and ethical issues, to
influence of environmental knowledge on behaviour is contradic-
distribute the questionnaires.
tory (Martin and Simintiras, 1995). On the one hand, Maloney
The main objective was to cover the whole geographical area
and Ward (1973) reported that there was no significant link
of Portugal. Thus, a convenience sample, selected by the
between environmental knowledge and favourable environmental
interview- ers, was used and the final sample was composed by
behav- iour. On the other hand, Chan (1999) showed that
887 individu- als aged over 18. This sample dimension is
knowledge about environmental issues was a useful variable for
considered adequate once we are handling with a descriptive
predicting favourable environmental behaviour.
research and we are using the survey by questionnaire. The
Environmental affection refers to the degree of emotionality
minimum recommended is 500 individuals (Malhotra, 1993).
that an individual displays in relation to environmental issues.
The questionnaire is composed of two main sections. In the
There seems to be consistent empirical evidence supporting the
first part, data are collected about the demographic characteristics
positive association between environmental affection and envi-
of respondents. The second part examines the environmental
ronmental behaviour (Maloney and Ward, 1973; Chan and Yam,
dimen- sion (concern, affection, knowledge, environmentally
1995). These studies also show that individuals with a low level
friendly behaviours, information search, activism, green products
of environmental knowledge may nonetheless exhibit a close
buying behaviour, sensitivity to price, waste separation/recycling,
emotional relationship with the environment. In the case of the
per- ceived efficiency, scepticism, etc.). The scales used to
research undertaken by Chan (1999), the author noted that
measure this dimension were 5-point Likert scales (1 =
Chinese consumers demonstrated a powerful environmental
strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 =
affect, but that their actions in defence of the environment were
strongly agree).
still insignificant.
After collection, the data were statistically analysed and inter-
Verbal commitment refers to the readiness or intention
preted using the statistical software SPSS 16.0 (Statistical
expressed by an individual to do something for the benefit of the
Package for Social Sciences). The data obtained were submitted
environment (Chan, 1999). Studies have shown that there is a
to a mul- tivariate statistical analysis, which included the
following sequence of statistical treatment: factor analysis,
cluster analysis
and discriminant analysis. After this, a characterization 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 Compo-
nents Method was used to extract the factors. The variables were
grouped into nine factors and, all together, account for 57.37% of
the total variance. The main results of this analysis are shown in
Table 1.
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 signifi- cance level of 0.000.
Taking into account the variables that appear to be most
closely correlated with each of the factors, these can be described
as follows:
1. Environmentally friendly buying behaviour. 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.
2. Environmental activism. The second factor essentially brings
together the variables related with the interest in and search for
information, collaboration with environmentalist organizations
and an active participation in protests held in defence of environ-
mental causes.
3. Environmental knowledge. 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’.
4. Environmental concern. 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.)
5. Recycling. 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.
6. Perceived consumer effectiveness. 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.
7. Resource saving. 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.
8. Economic factor. 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.
9. Scepticism towards environmental claims. 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.
A reliability analysis was also carried out using Cronbach’s
Alpha coefficient (Table 1). The scores obtained showed that the
first nine factors displayed satisfactory levels of internal
coherence because ‘in this respect, the usual threshold level for
this coeffi- cient is 0.7, although it may be reduced to 0.6 in
exploratory research’ (Hair et al., 1998, p. 118). It was therefore
decided to eliminate the last two factors. Cronbach’s alpha
coefficient was also calculated for the new group of factors, with
a result being obtained of 0.9276.
After using factor analysis to determine the factors that were
relevant to the study, these were then used as inputs in later
analyses. After analysing the percentage variation of the agglom-
eration coefficient, it was decided to opt for a three-cluster
solution (Table 2). 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. Thus, the first group of
consumers presents more environmental knowledge, but is the
less activist and do not seem to have an environmentally friendly
buying behaviour. The elements of the second cluster understand
that their actions are very important to the preservation of the
environment and act accordingly. However they seem to be very
sceptical towards environmental claims. The third cluster is
activist but presents a lower environmental knowledge.
At this point we are able to answer to the first research
question. So, it is possible to identify a ‘green’ consumer
segment. This is evidenced through the analysis of the means
presented in the previous table. The second cluster seems to
present the ‘greener’ profile.
After the ‘optimum’ number of clusters had been found,
several tests were carried out in order to discover if there were
any signifi- cant differences between the groups. For this reason,
it was decided to use one-way variance analysis and discriminant
analysis.
By observing the results in column F of Table 3, 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 considered individually,
are significant for differentiating between the groups.
The Wilks’ lambda test statistic is designed to determine the
discriminant function that maximizes 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 pro- vides the greatest difference between the means of the
clusters, since it presents the lowest score (Malhotra, 1993). The
variable less able to differentiate the groups of consumers is the
‘Scepti- cism towards environmental claims’. After this and in
descending order of their discriminatory power come the
variables ‘perceived consumer effectiveness’, ‘environmentally
friendly buying be- haviour’, ‘recycling’, ‘environmental
activism’, ‘resource saving’, ‘economic factor’, ‘environmental
concern’ and ‘scepticism towards environmental claims’.
 Table 1 Rotated Component Matrix (varimax method)

Items F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9

I read the labels to see if the products are environmentally safe 0.467
I am willing to stop buying products from firms that are guilty of polluting 0.548
I try to buy energy efficient household appliances 0.627
When there is a choice, I choose the product that causes the least pollution 0.714
I have switched products/brands for ecological reasons 0.566
I usually buy products made from recycled materials 0.640
I make a special effort to buy biodegradable products 0.761
I buy products in refillable containers 0.735
I will not buy products that have excessive packaging 0.689
I prefer to buy products not tested on animals 0.445
I use environmentally safe soaps and detergents 0.698
I avoid buying products in aerosol containers 0.583
I prefer to buy durable goods 0.385
Cronbach Reliability 0.902
I am interested in reading reports on environmentally friendly products 0.445
I help a group whose main aim is to preserve the environment 0.785
I give money to a cause or an environmental group 0.788
I have taken part in a protest related to an environmental cause 0.784
Cronbach Reliability 0.846
I know how to preserve and not cause damage to the environment 0.395
I know the meaning of ‘global warming’ 0.872
I know the meaning of ‘acid rain’ 0.855
I know what the problem of ozone depletion is 0.853
I know that plastic bags take many years to decompose and cause pollution 0.526
Cronbach Reliability 0.811
I am very concerned about the problem of pollution in general 0.654
I am very concerned about air pollution and the problem of ozone depletion 0.714
I become angry when I think about the harm caused to life by pollution 0.693
When I think of the ways in which firms pollute, I get frustrated and angry 0.666
Cronbach Reliability 0.794
I hand in at the chemist’s medicine that is left over or past its sell-by date 0.327
I usually keep separate piles of rubbish for recycling 0.817
I am prepared to walk several blocks to take rubbish to the recycling bins 0.774
I have convinced members of my family and friends to recycle 0.623
I feel the government should pass legislation making recycling mandatory 0.422
Cronbach Reliability 0.781
When contaminated, a river or the sea cleans itself through the flow of the water, 0.684
so I see no need to worry (R)
In Portugal, pollution isn’t a serious problem, so I see no need to worry (R) 0.617
I believe that environmentalists make a lot of exaggerations (R) 0.548
It is very difficult for one consumer alone to do anything for the planet (R) 0.530
Since one person alone can’t have any effect upon pollution and the problems of 0.645
natural resources, it doesn’t make any difference what I do (R)
Cronbach Reliability 0.645
I conserve energy by turning off lights and electrical appliances when I am not using 0.759
them
I try to reduce the amount of water I use 0.818
I try to reduce the amount of rubbish I produce 0.531
Cronbach Reliability 0.730
Economic development is less important than protecting the environment 0.453
I am willing to pay more for green products 0.612
I am willing to pay more taxes in order to protect the environment 0.676
Cronbach Reliability 0.699
Most of the environmental claims made on package labels or in advertising are false 0.797
and/or confusing
The environmental claims made on package labels or in advertising should be 0.638
regulated more closely
Products labelled as ‘environmentally safe’ or ‘ecological’ are just another selling point 0.666
Cronbach Reliability 0.655
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy 0.9291
Bartlett’s test of sphericity 8743.1
Sig 0.000

R: Score reversed when analysing.

 Table 2 Cluster analysis results

Cluster 1 n = Cluster 2 n = Cluster 3 n =

319 311 257
(36.0%) (35.1%) (29.0%)

Standard Standard Standard

Variables Mean deviation Mean deviation Mean deviation

Environmentally friendly buying behaviour -0.3432 1.1392 0.4424 0.7501 -0.1094 0.8781
Environmental activism -0.3455 0.8244 0.1938 1.0843 0.1943 0.9802
Environmental knowledge 0.3075 0.8940 0.2168 0.7613 -0.6441 1.0839
Environmental concern 0.0317 1.0134 0.1512 0.8345 -0.2224 1.1239
Recycling -0.3128 1.1556 0.3094 0.7576 0.0139 0.9320
Perceived consumer effectiveness -0.0166 0.9422 0.4651 0.7838 -0.5423 1.0276
Resource saving -0.2660 1.0856 0.2740 0.7895 -0.0014 1.0309
Economic factor -0.1732 1.0146 0.2865 0.9656 -0.1317 0.9480
Scepticism towards environmental claims 0.0085 1.0168 -0.0643 1.0640 0.0673 0.8923

Table 3 Tests of equality of group means

Table 5 Chi- square tests (demographics)

Wilks’ Variables Pearson’s c2 df Sig.

Variables lambda F Sig. Gender 4.036 2 0.133
Environmentally friendly buying behaviour 0.885 57.197 0.000 Age 57.865 8 0.000
Environmental activism 0.933 31.797 0.000 Education 110.807 8 0.000
Environmental knowledge 0.829 91.095 0.000 Occupation 91.141a 20 0.000
Environmental concern 0.977 10.282 0.000 Income 27.409 10 0.002
Recycling 0.931 32.708 0.000
a
In 2 cells there
Perceived are lesseffectiveness
consumer than 5 observations Significance
0.839 level 0.05.0.000
85.017
Resource saving 0.948 24.161 0.000
Economic factor 0.955 20.651 0.000 In order to complement the characterization of the groups
Scepticism towards environmental claims 0.997 1.238 0.290 found, a bivariate analysis was undertaken, in which various
cross-
tables were carried out. In order to analyse the significance of the
demographic characteristics in the differentiation of the groups, a
Table 4 Structure matrix
Pearson’s test was performed. The results are presented in Table
5. In this case, it can be seen that the variables ‘age’, ‘education’
Variables Function 1 Function 2 and ‘income’ are significant for differentiating between the
Perceived consumer effectiveness 0.479* -0.214 groups. The variable ‘occupation’ is also significant, but it must
Environmentally friendly buying behaviour 0.369* 0.270 be analysed with some caution, since some cells present less than
Economic factor 0.241* 0.097 five observations. The ‘gender’ is not significant for
Environmental concern 0.152* -0.125 differentiating
Scepticism towards environmental claims -0.059* 0.022 between the groups.
Environmental knowledge 0.298 -0.602* The results obtained in other researches have not always pro-
Environmental activism 0.115 0.401* duced similar conclusions. For example in relation to the variable
Recycling 0.236 0.291* gender, Laroche et al. (2001) state that the variable is significant
Resource saving 0.209 0.239* to differentiate the consumers that are willing to pay more for
green products. Other studies indicate precisely the opposite (e.g.
*Largest absolute correlation between each variable and any discrimi-
nant function.
Shrum et al., 1995). But in general, women tend to be more
environmen- tally conscious (Banerjee and McKeage, 1994).
Although not sig- nificant, the ‘greener’ segment of this study
The discriminant analysis that was undertaken showed two dis- contains the largest number of women.
criminant functions. In view of the statistical significance So, in what concerns to the second research question, we can
observed between the groups, it is useful to examine the conclude that there are differences between the ‘greener’ segment
individual contribution of the variables to the discriminant and the remaining groups, in the demographic characteristics of
functions. The relative contribution of each of the variables can age, education, occupation and income.
be analysed through the structure matrix (Table 4). As it is It was also possible to characterize the various groups into
possible to observe ‘perceived consumer effectiveness’ and three segments, as follows:
‘environmentally friendly buying behaviour’ present the two
largest correlations with the first discriminant function, while
Segment 1 – ‘The Uncommitted’ (36%)
‘environmental knowledge’ and ‘environmental activism’ are
more correlated with the second function. 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), their concerns are not always translated into environmentally
service, sales and administrative workers and students, with friendly
monthly incomes ranging from 500€ to 1000€ and living in urban
environ- ments. They have very negative positions in relation to
some environmental aspects (activism, 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.

Segment 2 – ‘The Green

Activists’ (35%)
This segment is composed of individuals whose ages range
between 25 and 34 and between 45 and 54. Compared to the
other 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 special- ists from the intellectual, scientific and artistic
occupations) and earning higher incomes. They have a favourable
position in rela- tion 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 adver- tising claims made by firms.

Segment 3 – ‘The Undefined’ (29%)

This segment includes individuals from the higher age groups
and those with lower educational levels than the other segments.
They are service, sales and administrative workers, middle and
senior managers, unskilled and domestic workers (this latter
group is most commonly found in this segment), with monthly
incomes of up to 1000€. They have very negative positions
towards environ- mental 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.

Conclusions
The results of this study show that there are consumers with
environmentally friendly behaviours and that certain environmen-
tal and demographic variables are significant for differentiating
between the ‘greener’ segment and the other segments. Yet, gen-
erally speaking, one is left with the impression that the
Portuguese, despite their support for policies designed to
improve the environ- ment, 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 envi- ronment 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 are
aware of the existence of environmental problems, even though
behaviour. It was also noted that some consumers are prepared
to base their buying decisions on purchasing products that do
not harm the environment. It was also seen that a segment of
‘greener’ consumers in the sample differs significantly in some
aspects from the other market segments. Being a green
consumer involves adopting attitudes and behaviours that are
designed to minimize adverse effects on the environment. So
this segment seems to be more involved in environmental
aspects: perceived efficiency, environmentally friendly buying
behaviour, recycling and re- source saving,
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 perceptions and
choices in relation to the target market.
It can therefore 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 envi- ronmental consumerism.
Although they continue to want to see their needs being
catered for, consumers now feel that they, in turn, should adopt
a more active role in the protection, preservation and
conservation of the environment. But will they, in actual fact,
take into account the green aspect of products when making
their buying decisions? At this moment, it is not yet possible to
reply to this question with any degree of certainty, but as
consumers become more aware of the limitations of natural
resources, it is quite likely that they will alter their behaviour.

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