Price Sensitivity and Social Influence as Dual Moderators of the Attitude- Behaviour Gap in Sustainable Fashion
A Systematic Review of Urban Consumer Decision-Making
Keywords:
Attitude–behaviour gap, sustainable fashion, price sensitivity, social influence, TPB, TCV, NAT, urban consumers, systematic review, PRISMA 2020, dual-moderator frameworkAbstract
Despite decades of increasing environmental awareness, sustainable fashion remains responsible for less than 7% of global apparel sales, even as urban consumers' perceptions of sustainable fashion grow more positive. This review investigates the underlying reasons for the persistent gap and, more specifically, explores how Behavior–Context framework and considering price sensitivity and social influence as interacting dual modifiers of the attitude–behavior1966 to 2026 were selected from Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The quality of the studies was assessed using MMAT Version 2018 (with a median score of 4 out of 5), and an integrative framework combining the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Theory of Consumption Values, and Norm Activation Theory was employed through framework synthesis. Four key findings emerge: first, that price sensitivity varies according to individual identity, cultural background, and information access, indicating it is not solely a cost barrier; second, that social influence mechanisms such as peer pressure, identity signaling, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and FOMO actively draw consumers toward fast fashion, functioning in both positive and negative directions; third, that much of the current research is based on intention questionnaires rather than actual behavior, likely leading to an overestimation of what is understood; and fourth, that the disparity is most pronounced in Tier 2 urban areas where actual financial constraints conflict with sustainability aspirations. This constitutes the first comprehensive review explicitly differentiating this model from the Attitude–Behavior–Context framework and considering price sensitivity and social influence as interacting dual modifiers of the attitude–behavior gap within urban sustainable fashion.
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