When Consumers Take the Wheel: On the Dynamic Relevance of Social Identity in the Symbolic Value and Adoption of Electric Vehicles

Please join us for our next Monday departmental seminar on the 29nd of November from 15:00 to 16:00 at the Porter Auditorium

https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/83229921170

Atar Herziger

Technion University

Those who want to meet Atar in person to discuss their research can do so at 14:00 on that day in the staff hall on the second floor.

When Consumers Take the Wheel: On the Dynamic Relevance of Social Identity in the Symbolic Value and Adoption of Electric Vehicles

ABSTRACT

Widespread adoption of innovative green products, such as Electric Vehicles (EVs), has the potential to drastically shift both production and consumption markets and substantially reduce carbon emissions. Previous literature suggests that individuals who perceive EVs to hold symbolic value—expressing the owner’s identity, status, and prestige—are more likely to purchase an EV than others. However, this literature is inconsistent in defining symbolic value. Moreover, it is unclear whether the influence of symbolic value on EV adoption is fixed over time or changes as the purchase decision draws nearer. We assess two factors associated with EV symbolic value and evaluate their dynamic influence on adoption intent: (1) product signaling factors, reflecting consumers’ perceptions of the EV as prestigious, high-status, and expressive, and (2) driver-identity factors, representing consumers’ perceptions of themselves as holding EV-congruent identities (e.g., pro-environmentalist). We assess these relationships in several settings: a survey study (N = 709), a quasi-experimental field study of EV test drivers (N = 275), and a virtual test drive experiment in a hypothetical setting (N = 454). We find that exposure to EVs, either via nearing a purchase decision or experiencing an EV test drive, increases perceptions of EVs as signaling status and prestige. EV exposure can even change consumers’ perceptions of the self and, in turn, can increase EV adoption intent. This work provides novel evidence of the strengthened importance of symbolic value on adoption intent after EV exposure. Results suggest that when attempting to increase the adoption of innovative green products, product-centric and instrumental promotional messaging may be inferior to identity-centric, symbolic appeals.