Theory of planned behavior in predicting the construction of eco-friendly houses

Purpose The present study aimed to explore the applicability of theory of planned behavior in construction of eco-friendly houses. Design/methodology/approach Study utilized cross-sectional correlational research design, collected data from 269 adult house owners of Kerala, India, with the help of a self-report measures namely, attitude towards eco-friendly house construction, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention to build eco-friendly houses, check list of eco-friendly house and socio-demographic data sheet. Descriptive statistics, Karl Pearson product moment correlation, confirmatory factor analysis and mediation analysis with the help of AMOS were used to describe the distribution of study variables and to test the research hypotheses and proposed model. Findings Study revealed that behavioral intention to build eco-friendly house was the immediate and strongest predictor of actual behavior of constructing an eco-friendly house. Behavioral intention mediated the relationship of attitudinal variables, normative variables and control variables with the behavior of constructing eco-friendly houses. Research limitations/implications The results vouched the applicability of theory of planned behavior as a comprehensive model in explaining the behavior of eco-friendly house construction. Practical implications Results of the study iterates the utility of attitudinal, normative and control factors in enhancing the choice of constructing eco-friendly houses. The results can be applied to develop a marketing tool to enhance the behavior of choosing or constructing eco-friendly houses in the population. Originality/value Role of conventional concrete construction in climate crisis is unquestioned, and adopting eco-friendly architecture is a potential solution to the impending doom of climate crisis. Behavioral changes play a significant role in the success of global actions to curb the climate crisis. Present study discusses the role of psychological variables in constructing eco-friendly houses.