Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan

Abstract The notion of sustainability is at the forefront of business and society at large. Excessive use of resources promoting ecological behaviors can’t be ignored from religious perspective. The literature shows inconclusive findings about the influence of religiosity on sustainable behaviors, a...

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Main Author: Muhammad Zafran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-07-01
Series:Discover Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00840-7
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author Muhammad Zafran
author_facet Muhammad Zafran
author_sort Muhammad Zafran
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The notion of sustainability is at the forefront of business and society at large. Excessive use of resources promoting ecological behaviors can’t be ignored from religious perspective. The literature shows inconclusive findings about the influence of religiosity on sustainable behaviors, and prior studies on religiosity are context- or culture-specific. Little attention has been paid to Islamic religiosity and sustainability behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine whether religiosity drives sustainability behaviors among Muslims in the cultural context of Pakistan. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study aims to investigate the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on sustainability behaviors such as (a) energy saving, (b) recycling, (c) concern for the environment, and (d) sustainable consumption behavior/quality of life. The research framework also includes a moderating role of “social status desire (SSD)” to determine whether SSD moderates the relationship between religiosity and sustainability behaviors. A quantitative method was used, administering 225 survey forms to collect sample data from individuals across Punjab, Pakistan. The survey results show that both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity have a direct positive impact on all dimensions of sustainability behavior except extrinsic religiosity, which has a non-significant impact on environmental concern. Further, moderation analysis reveals that social status desire (SSD) positively moderates the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and energy saving and sustainable consumption behavior, while no moderating effect was found on recycling behavior and environmental concern. In contrast, SSD showed significant but negative moderating effects for all four dimensions of sustainability behavior. The study findings have important implications for promoting sustainability behavior using religions as a powerful force for changing behavior and environmental conservation.
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spelling doaj-art-1b7c49df9d7d4a1b97281beeda3e05f42025-08-20T03:04:16ZengSpringerDiscover Sustainability2662-99842025-07-016111910.1007/s43621-025-00840-7Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in PakistanMuhammad Zafran0Beaconhouse National UniversityAbstract The notion of sustainability is at the forefront of business and society at large. Excessive use of resources promoting ecological behaviors can’t be ignored from religious perspective. The literature shows inconclusive findings about the influence of religiosity on sustainable behaviors, and prior studies on religiosity are context- or culture-specific. Little attention has been paid to Islamic religiosity and sustainability behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine whether religiosity drives sustainability behaviors among Muslims in the cultural context of Pakistan. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study aims to investigate the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on sustainability behaviors such as (a) energy saving, (b) recycling, (c) concern for the environment, and (d) sustainable consumption behavior/quality of life. The research framework also includes a moderating role of “social status desire (SSD)” to determine whether SSD moderates the relationship between religiosity and sustainability behaviors. A quantitative method was used, administering 225 survey forms to collect sample data from individuals across Punjab, Pakistan. The survey results show that both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity have a direct positive impact on all dimensions of sustainability behavior except extrinsic religiosity, which has a non-significant impact on environmental concern. Further, moderation analysis reveals that social status desire (SSD) positively moderates the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and energy saving and sustainable consumption behavior, while no moderating effect was found on recycling behavior and environmental concern. In contrast, SSD showed significant but negative moderating effects for all four dimensions of sustainability behavior. The study findings have important implications for promoting sustainability behavior using religions as a powerful force for changing behavior and environmental conservation.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00840-7ReligiosityIslamic religiositySustainabilityPro-environmental behaviorSocial status
spellingShingle Muhammad Zafran
Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan
Discover Sustainability
Religiosity
Islamic religiosity
Sustainability
Pro-environmental behavior
Social status
title Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan
title_full Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan
title_fullStr Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan
title_short Does religiosity drive sustainability? Analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among Muslim consumers in Pakistan
title_sort does religiosity drive sustainability analyzing the impact of religiosity on sustainability behaviors among muslim consumers in pakistan
topic Religiosity
Islamic religiosity
Sustainability
Pro-environmental behavior
Social status
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00840-7
work_keys_str_mv AT muhammadzafran doesreligiositydrivesustainabilityanalyzingtheimpactofreligiosityonsustainabilitybehaviorsamongmuslimconsumersinpakistan