Decision-Making Processes of Renewable Energy Consumers Compared to Other Categories of Ecological Products

Abstract

In the scientific discourse on consumption, increasingly more attention is being paid to sustainable development. Regarding the fact that not only various types of enterprises, but also consumers contribute to the excessive consumption of natural resources, it is of crucial importance to reduce the knowledge gap in the field of sustainable consumer behavior and decision-making processes related to the choice of organic products. The paper aims to present the decision-making processes of Polish consumers of renewable energy against the background of other categories of ecological products. Special attention is paid to the extent in which the offer is adjusted to the needs of consumers of renewable energy in Poland, compared to other categories of ecological products. The paper also shows the perception of the consumer of ecological products by buyers of renewable energy and by people who do not buy ecological products. The paper is based on a literature review and the results of a quantitative empirical study. The quantitative research was performed on a nationwide sample of 1032 people, among whom 509 people bought an organic product in the last 3 months, and 523 people did not purchase such a product during this period. The analysis of the results allows us to conclude that in the case of renewable energy, factors such as price, quality and the producer’s certification play a crucial role in the decision-making processes of Polish consumers. The hierarchy of criteria considered in the decision-making process related to the purchase of renewable energy and equipment enabling the use of renewable energy sources is quite similar to the one observed when purchasing electric cars. At the same time, it should be noted that almost every second person purchasing renewable energy compares many offers and spends a relatively long time contemplating their choice.

1. Introduction

Due to the deteriorating condition of the natural environment, implementing principles of sustainable development has become a key issue for many areas of socio-economic life, including the functioning of the energy sector. Environment and energy are important foundations for sustainable economic development [1]. It is necessary to increase the scope of the use of such types of energy that are beneficial from the perspective of improving the condition of the natural environment. Therefore, the links between energy, the environment and the economy are intensifying, as reducing the negative impact of climate change and maintaining the security of energy supplies is closely related to the concept of sustainable development [2,3,4].

Assumptions about the concept of sustainable development mean a departure from treating nature in terms of increasing the efficiency of raw material sourcing, in favor limiting the pace of economic growth and integrating human activities in not only the environmental and economic, but also technological and socio-cultural areas [5]. Environmental awareness, as well as the application in practice of the principle of intra- and intergenerational justice—which means that the increase in the welfare of some consumers should not limit the possibilities of improving the welfare of other consumers and the next generations—are of crucial importance in the implementation of the principles of sustainable development [6]. Moreover, it requires a re-evaluation of consumption and the rejection of the consumer civilization, based on the quantitative increase in consumption, in favor of exposing the qualitative aspects of consumption, allowing for achieving a higher quality of life. An active attitude towards consumption is expressed by making informed and deliberate decisions related to the purchase and use of goods, i.e., the choice of such means of satisfying a wide range of needs that enable increased well-being, as a result of functioning in harmony with the natural and social environment. On a macro-social scale, this translates into the development of a society that implements the principles of sustainable consumption and strengthens social communities. On the other hand, on a micro-social scale, it means creating an innovative lifestyle that respects the environment and the well-being of all living creatures [7].

On the one hand, the subject area addressed in the paper is consistent with the processes of modernizing consumption, which are closely related to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development. On the other hand, the considerations presented in the paper expand the knowledge about the marketing dimensions of the functioning of Poland’s renewable energy market. Offering these considerations such a conceptual framework results from the fact that, in both the literature and in practice, the approach to the consumer’s role and the nature of the relationship between suppliers and recipients are changing. This is reflected in the perception of final consumers as holders of marketing potential who, by sharing their experience and knowledge, become valuable partners for bidders, and the resources provided by buyers are integrated with the bidder’s resources. The result of integrating these resources leads to an increase in the marketing potential of the bidder [8,9,10].

Bearing in mind that households are, to a large extent, responsible for global greenhouse gas emissions [11], it becomes important, in this context, to recognize changes in the implementation of the sustainable consumption model, which is a response to the overconsumption of goods and services that does not take account of social and ecological costs. This means that the processes of modernizing energy consumption that consider the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption should be analyzed in the broad context of many product categories serving to satisfy various types of needs, with due regard to the social and environmental consequences of consumption. The aim of the paper is to present the decision-making processes of Polish consumers of renewable energy against the background of other categories of ecological products. Apart from the cognitive dimension, the knowledge about these processes is also important in terms of application, as it can be used in the identification of directions for the development of marketing activities aimed at stimulating the demand for energy from renewable sources and devices enabling its use. To implement the formulated goal of the paper, a research procedure based on a literature review and the results of quantitative research was conducted. The empirical study was conducted on a nationwide sample of 1032 people, among whom 509 people had bought an ecological product in the last 3 months, and 523 people had not purchased such a product during this period. Apart from the introduction, the paper includes the literature review, materials and research methods, the results of the empirical research, the discussion and the conclusions, which indicate the directions for further research in the area of the decision-making processes of renewable energy consumers and the perception of ecological products by the consumer.

2. Literature Review

Considering the formulated goal of the article, which is to show the decision-making processes of Polish consumers of renewable energy against the background of other categories of ecological products, the literature studies focused on the theory of the decision-making processes of consumers in general, as well as on the existing research on the behavior of consumers of renewable energy and the determinants of their decisions.

According to the classical understanding of the purchasing decision-making process, it is assumed that consumers act in a deliberate manner and consciously analyze their needs and ways of satisfying them. At the same time, it should be noted that decision making may also result from habits, unconscious factors, and be a consequence of environmental impact [12,13,14].

Among the types of buying decisions, the literature indicates prudent, non-routine, habitual and impulsive decisions. It is significant for prudent decisions that in their case, all stages of the decision-making process are revealed, and the time to make a buying decision is relatively long, as the consumer considers various possibilities of satisfying their needs. In the case of non-routine decisions, the decision-making process also includes all stages of the decision-making process, but the time spent on each of them is shorter than in the case of prudent decisions. Habitual decisions, on the other hand, are made under the influence of routine and habit, and the choice made results from the consumer’s own experience. These decisions are characterized by less cognitive involvement. Impulsive decisions, in turn, are distinguished by the fact that in making them, a particularly vital role is played by emotions and the fact that they have not been previously planned by the consumer [15].

In the literature on the subject, there is also a division into purchasing decisions, which is based on the criterion of the importance of the decision for the consumer and the level of complexity of the decision-making process. This classification distinguishes an extensive decision-making process, in which the buyer considers and compares many purchase options. It is defined as comprehensive decision making that is of great importance to the consumer. The second type of decision-making process is the consumer’s search for variety. It is also an extensive decision-making process. However, it concerns the decision to purchase products of minor importance to the consumer. There are also habit-dominated decisions. They are simplified in nature, and the search for information is limited as the consumer is loyal to the brand or strives for convenience [16]. When examining consumers’ decision-making processes, it should be remembered that their course and nature are influenced by many internal and external factors. Consumers’ decision-making processes are also changing under the influence of the development of information and communication technologies. The Internet channel for the purchase of goods enables time independence, the relatively quick comparison of many offers and the use of additional services. However, it also has its disadvantages related to the excess of information, the problem of its validity and reliability, and sometimes also the security of transactions [17]. The ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline) and reverse ROPO effects are the identified symptoms of consumer behavior, both via the traditional and online channels [18,19].

In addition, when analyzing the diversity of consumer behavior in the era of the development of Internet functions, the following consumer segments should be indicated: pure offliners (seeking information and making purchases in the offline channel); pure onliners (seeking information and making purchases in the online channel); cross-channel offliners (looking for information in the online channel and making purchases in the offline channel); cross-channel onliners (looking for information in the offline channel, and purchasing in the online channel); dual-search offliners (looking for information in the offline and online channel, and purchasing in the offline channel); as well as dual-search onliners (searching for information in the offline and online channel, and making purchases in the online channel) [20].

Moving from general to specific considerations, i.e., from the theory of consumer decision-making processes to the behavior of consumers of renewable energy, it should be noted that the consumption of this type of energy is consistent with the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development and is multidimensionally determined by the influence of internal and external factors. Consumers have different levels of knowledge and awareness of the condition of the natural environment and climate change, and are guided by different reasons when choosing products. The attitude towards environmentally sustainable products mediates the relationship between environmental knowledge and purchase intention [21]. Consumer personality also plays a significant role among the psychological determinants of pro-environmental behavior. Consumers’ energy-saving behaviors are varied according to their personality traits. Considering the four groups of consumers distinguished according to personality traits (the positives, the temperates, the conservatives, the introverts), it should be noted that the intention to save energy in the positive and temperate groups is more sensitive to subjective norms, while the perceived control of behavior plays a more critical role in other groups [22]. In addition, it should be emphasized that consumer behavior changes over time and, apart from psychological factors, social norms play a key role in explaining them [23].

The analysis of the literature also enables the conclusion that, among the environmental determinants of the attitudes and investments of households aimed at increasing energy efficiency, it is important to consider where the consumer lives (house, flat). People who live in houses, compared to those who live in apartments, represent behaviors that are desirable from the point of view of energy management to a greater extent [24]. This is also confirmed in the studies of other authors, whose conclusions are presented in a later part of the literature review. Furthermore, the propensity of households to invest in clean energy technologies is highly dependent on home ownership, income, social context and household energy-saving practices. People who own premises are more prone to significant investments translating into an environmentally friendly approach to energy consumption than those who rent apartments, whose buying behavior in this respect is limited to the purchase of energy-saving appliances and light bulbs. Moving to higher stages of consumption development and using renewable energy also depends on the wealth of consumers, as purchasing the equipment that enables the use of renewable energy sources requires a significant initial investment. Modernizing energy consumption is also fostered by the pro-ecological attitudes of consumers [25].

Moreover, in research and analyses concerning the determinants of consumer behavior related to energy consumption, the demographic factors—including the age of consumers and the size of the household—are often considered. Based on the analysis of the literature, it should be noted that households with young children are more likely to use energy-saving technologies. It should be added that, mainly in their case, the tendency to save energy results from environmental reasons. The level of education is also important, with a higher level associated with the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and the application of energy-saving practices [26]. It should be emphasized that a higher level of education as well as a younger age have a positive effect on the probability of the occurrence of retrofit investments that support the natural environment and its protection. Furthermore, knowledge of energy efficiency certification has a positive impact on the probability of making retrofit investments, and these pro-environmental investments are perceived by households as a long-term advantage. The fact that consumers living in detached houses make energy modernization investments more often than people living in flats is an important finding from the literature review [27].

Research is also implemented in the context of the theory of consumption values. They concern the behavior of consumers of photovoltaic panels, which are the fastest growing segment of renewable energy [28]. They show that functional value and environmental value have a positive impact on consumer behavior in the choice of solar panels [29].

The literature review, which concerned the theory of consumers’ decision-making processes, as well as the determinants of the behavior of renewable energy consumers, allowed us to determine the research gap. Considering the nature of consumer decisions, the empirical diagnosis covered the cognitive aspect related to the consumer identifying the possibility of satisfying their needs and seeking information in this regard, as well as the axiological aspect, concerning the evaluation of available solutions and the assessment of matching the offer in the field of renewable energy. Considering that the consumer makes decisions in two institutional systems: in the household and in the market, it was important to examine who participates in the decision-making process regarding the purchase of renewable energy or devices enabling its use, as well as the role of marketing factors dependent on the bidders, which constitute an important context for product selection. In addition, the diagnosis covered the perception of consumers of ecological products by buyers of renewable energy and by people who do not buy ecological products, because knowledge in this area is important from the perspective of designing communication aimed at stimulating the demand for ecological products. Providing the answers to the formulated research questions presented beneath aims to reduce the identified research gap:

RQ1—

What are the stages of the decision-making process of renewable energy consumer and whether it different from the decision-making process related to the purchase of other ecological products, including everyday products and durable goods?

RQ2—

How do the renewable energy consumers assess the level of adjusting the offer to their needs compared to the offer for other categories of ecological products and whether there are differences in the assessment of adjusting the offer with regard to renewable energy to the needs of customers in terms of their demographic characteristics?

RQ3—

How is the consumer of ecological products perceived by renewable energy buyers and by people who do not buy ecological products?

A quantitative empirical study was conducted to answer the research questions. It is presented in the next section of the article.

3. Materials and Research Methods

Considering the formulated goal and the addressed research questions, an empirical quantitative study was performed using an online questionnaire [30]. The authors’ intention was to obtain an objective picture of the studied processes and to collect data that would enable their quantitative description. The quantitative research was performed on a nationwide sample of 1032 people, among whom 509 people had bought an ecological product in the last 3 months, and 523 people had not purchased such a product during this period. The inclusion of both buyers and those who do not buy ecological products in the quantitative study allowed the authors to identify differences in the perception of the consumer of ecological products by buyers of ecological products, including renewable energy, by people who do not buy ecological products. In order to formulate the answers to the research questions, six categories of ecological products were included in the study:

−

Renewable energy, the purchase of which is perceived in a broad way that considers the purchase of only this energy, as well as household appliances for its production (it is purchased by 31.8% of respondents);

−

Organic food (purchased by 48.0% of the respondents);

−

Biocosmetics and cleaning products (purchased by 45.8% of the respondents);

−

Electric cars (purchased by 25.2% of the respondents);

−

Ecological clothing (purchased by 42.9% of the respondents);

−

Green home furnishing products (purchased by 41.6% of the respondents).

The questionnaire was submitted to respondents as part of an online research ePanel [31], which was created and managed by the ARC Rynek i Opinia research institute. Surveys conducted with the use of Internet panels are standardized. Their innovative feature is also the ability to minimize the number of missing data thanks to the use of appropriate IT solutions. It is also important that they allow the avoidance of errors that could arise at the stage of entering data into the database [32]. The ARC Rynek i Opinia research institute holds the Information Security Quality Control Program certificate and the Interviewer Work Quality Control Program certificate for the CAWI technique. Currently, ePanel.pl has over 60,000 registered users, and it is one of the largest platforms for public opinion research in Poland. The results of the research conducted with the use of ePanel are representative of the population of Poles aged 18–65 in terms of age, sex, region and the size of the place of residence, as well as education. It should be added that the report of the Polish Society of Market and Opinion Researchers shows that research conducted with the use of the CAWI technique is in the first place because of the number of people covered by the research [33]. It should be emphasized that the huge importance of this research technique is immanently related to the high use of the Internet in Poland. Data from Statistics Poland show that in 2021, 92.4% of households had access to the Internet at home [34].

The advantages of the research conducted with the use of the Internet panel include the lack of a survey effect and the use of data quality control procedures, as well as the high responsiveness and interactivity of the questionnaire, which makes such research more attractive to the respondent than a survey performed using traditional techniques. Moreover, high confidence in the research conducted with the use of ePanel.pl results from the fact that during registration, a thorough verification of people who were signed in on the Internet panel (telephone verification) was performed, while the accounts of inactive panelists were removed, and there was a constant inflow of new users. At the same time, control procedures were used to eliminate such phenomena as double accounts or the unreliable completion of the survey. The latter negative phenomenon was eliminated by, for instance, controlling the time allowed to of complete the survey, and the use of control questions.

The authors are aware that there is no perfect methodology and that each style of measurement and estimation have their limitations. Among the shortcomings of the conducted research procedure, it should be indicated that it was based on declarations. However, this deficiency applies to all survey studies. In addition, it should be noted that people who did not have access to the Internet could not take part in the study. Among the panel participants, from among whom the respondents were selected, there were no representatives of the upper class, as well as the youngest and the oldest people, because only people aged 18–65 are registered in the Internet panel. Another deficiency of this type of methodology is that it does not involve an interviewer who can clarify to the respondents any confusion about the used expressions, if they occur. At the same time, it should be stated that the advantages outweigh the above-mentioned disadvantages of the adopted methodology. The applied methodology was optimal from the perspective of research goals.

The respondents who participated in the survey were selected in an automated way using the computer program of the research agency ARC Rynek i Opinia from over 60,000 people registered in the online panel. The respondents selected by the computer program were sent a link—an invitation to participate in the study and complete an online questionnaire. At the beginning of the questionnaire, a filtering question asked whether the respondent had bought an organic product in the last 3 months. The questions that followed were asked depending on the answer given to the recruitment question.

The study was conducted in the period from September to October 2021. The structure of the sample, which considers its most important characteristics and the division into buyers of ecological products and those who do not buy ecological products, is presented in

Table 1. Characteristics of the research sample.

	People Who Bought an Ecological Product in the Last 3 Months		People Who Did Not Buy an Ecological Product in the Last 3 Months
Criterion	Frequency	Percent	Frequency	Percent
	509	49.3%	523	50.7%
Gender
Man	265	47.8%	293	52.2
Woman	244	52.2%	230	47.8
Total	509	100.0%	523	100.0
Age
18–24	80	12.9	55	9.0
25–34	133	24.8	96	17.5
35–44	130	29.3	99	21.7
45–54	78	14.5	144	25.6
55–65	88	18.5	129	26.2
Total	509	100.0%	523	100.0
Education
Primary/vocational	57	11.1	81	16.3
Secondary	230	44.4	240	45.4
University	222	44.5	202	38.3
Total	509	100.0%	523	100.0
Voivodeship
Lower Silesian	49	9.4	39	7.4
Kuyavian-Pomeranian	17	3.3	25	5.0
Lublin	27	5.4	31	6.1
Lubusz	15	2.7	12	2.2
Łódź	29	5.7	28	5.2
Lesser Poland	53	10.4	60	11.4
Masovian	104	20.4	78	14.7
Opole	7	1.5	11	2.3
Subcarpathia	30	5.9	20	4.3
Podlaskie	12	2.5	17	3.0
Pomeranian	18	3.5	29	5.7
Silesian	68	13.2	88	16.6
Holy Cross	17	3.5	14	2.7
Warmian-Masurian	11	2.1	11	2.1
Greater Poland	35	7.0	42	7.9
West Pomeranian	17	3.5	18	3.4
Total	509	100.0%	523	100.0
Size of town
Village	153	35.1	186	40.9
Town with up to 20 thousand inhabitants	79	14.4	67	11.7
City with 20–50 thousand inhabitants	55	11.0	58	11.0
City with 50–100 thousand inhabitants	45	8.1	45	7.9
City with 100–200 thousand inhabitants	58	10.6	42	7.4
City with 200–500 thousand inhabitants	45	7.9	58	10.0
City with over 500 thousand inhabitants	74	12.9	67	11.1
Total	509	100.0%	523	100.0

Source: own study based on research results.

.

The study included 244 women and 265 men who had bought an ecological product in the last 3 months, and 230 women and 293 men who had not purchased any of the ecological product categories. Considering the age of the respondents, it should be noted that in the group of people who purchase ecological products, the largest share (29.3%) was constituted by people aged 35–44, and the smallest (12.9%) by people aged 18–24. On the other hand, among the respondents who do not buy ecological products, the largest share (26.2%) was those aged 55–65, and the smallest (9.0%) aged 18–27. In terms of education, the respondents included people with primary, secondary and higher education. The share of people with higher education in the studied groups was 44.5% for those purchasing ecological products and 38.3% for the second group, respectively. It is worth adding that the respondents came from all 16 voivodships in Poland. Considering, in turn, the size of the town in which the respondent lives, it should be added that people living in rural areas were the largest group in both surveyed segments. Their share in the studied groups was 35.1% and 40.9%, respectively. On the other hand, residents of the largest cities with over 500,000 inhabitants accounted for 12.9% of the consumers of ecological products and 11.1% of people who do not buy ecological products.

Appendix A to the paper contains the questions that formed the basis for the preparation of the paper. The analysis of the empirical study results was aimed at formulating the answers to the research questions and, consequently, reducing the identified research gap. The statistical analysis used statistical tools and techniques that were appropriate for the scale of the measurement and the type of answer choice (single or multiple). The chi square test of independence was used to verify the relationships between the answers to the questions regarding the factors of product choice, the question of who makes the purchase decisions, the types and methods of purchase, and the characteristics of the respondents, as well as the perception of oneself; whereas the test of proportion—in which, due to multiple comparisons, the significance was corrected by the Bonferroni correction—was applied to identify the significant differences observed in the answers [35]. Due to the different sizes of the contingency tables, the corrected Pearson contingency coefficient was used when assessing the strength of correlation. On the other hand, single-choice answers to the question about the assessment of the adjustment of the offer of ecological products to the needs of consumers were measured on an ordinal scale. An exploratory factor analysis of the principal component method was used to determine the factor structure of the level of adjusting the offer of ecological products [36,37,38]. The exploratory factor analysis identifies variables called factors that explain the correlation patterns found within the groups of the observed variables [39]. The characteristics of the respondents were considered when analyzing the their answers concerning the assessment of the adjustment of the ecological product offer. When verifying the occurrence of the same distribution of answers, i.e., the assessment of the level of adjustment by the respondents’ characteristics and self-perception, the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis single variant analysis test with multiple pairwise comparisons was used, and additionally, when gender was the grouping feature, the Mann–Whitney U test was applied [40]. The significance of differences in the assessments for pairwise multiple comparisons was identified on the basis of a Bonferroni adjusted p-value. Additionally, the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho) was used to assess the correlations. In order to conduct statistical analyses, the IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 statistical package was used.

4. Results

Considering the presented research gap, it is important to determine how the decision-making process of the renewable energy consumer proceeds, and whether it differs from the decision-making processes related to the purchase of other ecological products, including everyday products and durable goods. From this point of view, it is necessary to present the criteria for the selection of renewable energy by the consumer, compared to other categories of ecological products. Based on the results of the quantitative research, it can be concluded that in the case of renewable energy, factors such as price, quality and the producer’s certification play a vital role in consumer decision-making processes. They are indicated among the three main selection criteria, respectively, by 44.5%, 38.4% and 30.1% of the surveyed consumers purchasing renewable energy. Such criteria as the place of purchase or promotion played a less significant role, as these were the key factors indicated, respectively, by 10.7% and 9.5% of the surveyed consumers of renewable energy. It is also significant that in the case of an ecological product such as energy from renewable sources, the respondents more often indicated the opinions of other people as a point of reference in their purchasing decision-making processes than in the case of other categories of ecological products (13.9% in the case of energy from renewable sources versus 4.4% for ecological clothing, or 4.9% for organic food).

The hierarchy of criteria considered in the decision-making process related to purchasing renewable energy is quite similar to that for electric cars. At the same time, it should be noted that in the case of the purchase of organic food, as well as biocosmetics and cleaning products, the product composition plays a much greater role in the product selection process. It is indicated among the three most important selection criteria, respectively, by 57.9% and 58.5% of the surveyed consumers purchasing these products. When comparing the selection criteria for the purchase of energy from renewable sources with the selection criteria for ecological clothing and ecological home furnishing products, it should be noted that when purchasing the latter two, the respondents most often indicated the quality, and only then the price. Figure 1 shows the criteria for selecting renewable energy against other categories of ecological products.

When deepening the analyses and considering in them the criterion of self-perception by consumers of ecological products, it is necessary to indicate the existence of a statistically significant (p < 0.01), though weak or moderate correlation between the factors of choosing three types of ecological products (renewable energy, electric car and ecological home furnishing products) and consumer self-perception (C-Pearson’s adjusted contingency coefficients are 0.372, 0.404, and 0.334, respectively). Based on the proportion test (α = 0.05), it can be concluded that when buying an electric car, people who perceived themselves as modern were more often guided by the quality of the product than those who described themselves as traditional, sensitive or tolerant people, while enterprising people were interested in the place of purchase more than sensitive or traditional people. The place of purchase of renewable energy was more often indicated as a factor of choice by passionate people than by sensitive people. On the other hand, the respondents who described themselves as passionate rather than ambitious or sensitive were guided by their experience when choosing a product from this group.

The analysis of the quantitative research results also enables the conclusion that there are two main types of purchasing decisions concerning renewable energy. A total of 36.4% of the respondents decide to purchase this energy individually. At the same time, it should be noted that a very similar percentage (36.0%) indicates that the decision to purchase renewable energy is a joint decision of all household members.

In each of the six product groups, the respondents’ answers about who usually makes the decision to buy an ecological product depended on the professional status of the respondent. Relationships between professional status and those making the decision to purchase organic food, renewable energy and ecological home furnishing products show a moderate strength of dependence, with Pearson’s adjusted contingency coefficients being 0.427, 0.460 and 0.477, respectively. In the group of biocosmetics and cleaning products, the strongest, but moderate (0.501) relationship between the respondents’ gender and those making decisions about the purchase of such a product was observed. When purchasing renewable energy, a statistically significant (p < 0.01) relationship was observed between those deciding on its purchase and the age of the respondent (C-Pearson = 0.352), the economic situation (0.317), and the size of the household (0.360). The relationship between decision makers and age also applied to purchases from the following groups: biocosmetics and cleaning products (0.272), ecological clothing (0.303), and ecological home furnishing products (0.356).

The youngest people (18–24 years old), significantly more often than middle-aged people (35–44 and 45–54 years old), indicated that their parents make decisions about purchasing renewable energy, while the partner as the person making the purchasing decision was indicated by people aged 45–54 significantly more often than those younger than them (aged 35–44). Farmers said that it is children who make the decisions about purchases more often than those working full-time; students indicated parents as the decision-makers more often than those working full-time; and individual decisions were declared by housekeepers more often than those who work full-time. Children as decision-makers of the purchase of renewable energy were significantly more frequently indicated by respondents with a very good rather than average economic situation.

When identifying the decision-making process of the renewable energy buyer compared to the behavior related to the purchase of other ecological products, the approach to searching for information about the offer should be considered in the analyses. Consumers of ecological products purchase individual types of ecological products in different ways, i.e., they search for information about the offer differently. Consumers of organic food search for products and information about them in the real world and buy there too (33.1% of responses), but almost equally often (32.9%) they browse online opinions and information before purchase and then buy ecological products at a physical outlet. On the other hand, consumers who buy biocosmetics, cleaning products and ecological clothing browse the Internet for reviews and information before buying, and then buy such products online (30.4% and 30.9%, respectively). If an electric car is purchased, 41.9% of buyers of this product browse the Internet before purchasing and then purchase from a physical point of sale. In the case of renewable energy, 35.1% of respondents who purchase it perform an online search before buying and then they purchase it in the real world. On the other hand, people who search for information about the offer in the real world in the process of purchasing energy from renewable sources, and then purchase it online, constitute 25.0% of people buying this type of ecological product. It should also be added that this type of decision-making process related to the purchase of renewable energy is observed among men more often than among women. People who represent the third decision-making type, consisting of searching for information about the offer on the Internet and buying there represent a similar percentage (25.9%) among people purchasing renewable energy. This type of decision-making process regarding renewable energy is indicated by men more often than by women, as well as by respondents from four-person households than two- or three-person households.

Striving for an in-depth identification of the decision-making processes regarding the purchase of renewable energy, the empirical study also covered the role of an impulse in decision-making processes on the one hand, and, on the other, the mechanisms related to the comprehensive and considered decision-making on the purchase. The conducted survey shows that among people buying renewable energy, the largest percentage (45.9%) are people who compare several offers and think about the choice for a relatively long time when buying ecological products. Only 2.7% of respondents indicated impulse buying with respect to this category of ecological product. The picture is completed by the fact that, when buying renewable energy, every third surveyed buyer of this product (35.6%) compares several offers and thinks about the choice for a relatively short time, and 15.8% of the respondents indicated that in their case, habits play a key role in the decision-making process. Furthermore, it should be added that buying renewable energy after comparing many offers and reflecting on the choice is more common among men than among women. Comparing several offers and the relatively short time associated with thinking about the choice are more often indicated by people with a worse economic situation.

The assessment of the level of matching the offer to the needs of consumers is another important issue related to the consumers’ decision-making processes, which was included in the empirical diagnosis. In light of the research results, it should be noted that in the respondents’ opinions, it was difficult to assess the level of offer customization in terms of renewable energy in Poland, as 38.0% of the respondents indicated the “hard to say” answer option. At the same time, it should be noted that for electric cars this percentage is higher and reaches 49.5%. Despite such a high percentage of respondents who are indecisive in their opinions, the consumers of renewable energy believe that the offer is customized to their needs (rather customized 33.8% or fully customized 16.0%). When making further comparisons, it is worth adding that, according to the surveyed consumers, the offer is best tailored to their needs in terms of organic food (rather customized 53.5% or fully customized 21.1%), as well as biocosmetics and cleaning products (rather customized 51.4% or fully customized 21.1%).

When deepening the analysis, it was possible to identify the existence of a Spearman’s rank correlation between consumers’ assessment of the level of offer customization in terms of individual types of ecological products. All Spearman’s rho coefficients are positive and statistically significant at the level of 0.01 (

Table 2. Correlation dependence of the assessment of the level of offer adjustment in terms of energy from renewable sources and other ecological products (N = 509).

Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient (rho)	Renewable Energy	Organic Food	Biocosmetics and Cleaning Products	Ecological Clothing	Electric Car	Ecological Home Furnishing Products
Renewable energy	1.000	0.409 **	0.409 **	0.465 **	0.603 **	0.544 **
Organic food	0.409 **	1.000	0.627 **	0.487 **	0.365 **	0.440 **
Biocosmetics and cleaning products	0.409 **	0.627 **	1.000	0.546 **	0.347 **	0.523 **
Ecological clothing	0.465 **	0.487 **	0.546 **	1.000	0.422 **	0.624 **
Electric car	0.603 **	0.365 **	0.347 **	0.422 **	1.000	0.460 **
Ecological home furnishing products	0.544 **	0.440 **	0.523 **	0.624 **	0.460 **	1.000

**—significant correlation at the level of 0.01 (bilateral). Source: own study based on research results.

).

The dependences are mostly of moderate strength (coefficients with values over 0.400 but not higher than 0.700). The highest correlation coefficients relate to the assessment of the adjustment of the offer in the field of organic food, biocosmetics and cleaning products (0.627); the offer of ecological clothing and ecological home furnishing products (0.624); as well as electric cars and renewable energy (0.603).

In order to determine the factor structure of the level of adjustment of the ecological product offer, including renewable energy, to the needs of customers, a factor analysis was used. Initially, the Kaiser-Meier-Olkin (K-M-O) and Bartlett sphericity tests were used [39]. The obtained K-M-O statistic (0.846) proves the high adequacy of the sample selection, and the statistically significant result of the Bartlett sphericity test (χ² (15, N = 509) = 1421.434; p <0.001) confirms that the correlation matrix as a whole contains significant correlation coefficients. Thus, both tests show the validity of using a factor analysis.

Then, an exploratory factor analysis was performed using the principal components method with Varimax rotation (with Kaiser normalization). The scree plot criterion was used to determine the number of factors. It showed that two factors should be distinguished. Both factors explain a total of 75% of the variance of the results, which should be considered a fairly good result. The results of the matrix of rotated factor loadings are presented in

Table 3. Matrix of rotated components * obtained by principal component method with Varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization.

Category-Assessment of the Level of Offer Adjustment to the Needs of Consumers in the Scope of:	Component
	1	2
organic food	0.830	0.202
biocosmetics and cleaning products	0.873	0.189
ecological clothing	0.715	0.416
electric cars	0.171	0.877
renewable energy	0.305	0.830
ecological home furnishing products	0.592	0.579

*—rotation converged in 3 iterations. Source: own study based on research results.

.

It can be concluded that the first factor loads such categories as the assessment of the level of offer adjustment to the consumers’ needs in terms of organic food, biocosmetics and cleaning products, as well as ecological clothing. The factor loadings of these categories represent 0.830, 0.873 and 0.715, respectively, and are high. The assessment of the level of tailoring the offer to the needs of consumers in terms of electric cars, renewable energy and green home furnishing products constitutes the second factor. The first two factor loadings (0.877 and 0.830) of this factor are high (Table 3). “The assessment of the level of adjusting the offer of green home furnishing products to the needs of customers” in the first and second factors obtained comparable factor loadings. They are over 0.5. Considering the specificity of these products and their functions, it was decided to include these products as part of the second factor, along with renewable energy and electric cars. This group of products—including furniture, among others—can be considered durable goods, which are more often bought deliberately than impulsively.

When interpreting the identified factors in the context of consumer behavior, it can be concluded that the first factor determines the assessment of the adjustment of the offer in terms of satisfying the basic, everyday needs of consumers. Organic food, biocosmetics and ecological clothing are products that consumers often buy; their offer is relatively wide, and purchasing decisions are made quite quickly based on a comparison of several offers, while the purchase takes place at physical points of sale or online, thus, satisfying basic needs of food, hygiene and clothes on a regular basis. The second factor, on the other hand, concerns the assessment of the offer adjustment in terms of satisfying the needs for durable goods. The offer of products from the renewable energy, electric cars and ecological home furnishing product groups is assessed as rather narrow. Consumers think about the choice for a long time, they compare several offers, and the purchase is made at physical points of sale, which means that products from these groups are purchased deliberately, used longer and bought less frequently.

The scale reliability analysis consisting of six categories was conducted using the Alfa Cronbach method. The Alpha = 0.865 statistic is high, greater than 0.7, and proves the high consistency, i.e., reliability of the scale used [41,42]. On the other hand, after removing individual categories, the Cronbach’s alpha values are smaller than the statistics calculated for six categories in total, which does not provide grounds for reducing the set of categories in the conducted analysis.

The analysis of the respondents’ answers regarding the assessment of offer adjustment in terms of ecological products, including renewable energy, considered the characteristics of the respondents. The assessment of the level of customizing the product offer was measured on a five-point ordinal scale, where 1 meant that the offer was fully customized and 5 meant that it was definitely not customized. Therefore, when verifying the occurrence of the same distribution of responses, i.e., assessments of the level of adjusting the offer to the needs of consumers according to the characteristics of the respondents, the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance test with multiple pairwise comparisons was used. Since multiple pairwise comparisons in the Kruskal–Wallis test are possible for the number of trials (feature categories) greater than 2, the Mann–Whitney U test was used to determine significant differences between the two samples [40]. The significance of differences in assessments for pairwise multiple comparisons was identified on the basis of the Bonferroni corrected p-value.

In this context, it should be emphasized that in the case of renewable energy, there are differences in the assessment of adjusting the offer to the consumers’ needs by age. Consumers aged 25–34 provided, on average, better ratings than the oldest respondents. Thus, the oldest surveyed consumers are more critical in their assessment of the adjustment of the renewable energy offer than younger people. Moreover, respondents in a very good economic situation assessed the adjustment of the renewable energy product group offer better than respondents in an average economic situation.

Considering the specific research gap, it is also important to answer the question of how the consumer of ecological products is perceived by buyers of renewable energy and by people who do not buy ecological products. The conducted survey shows that there are currently no significant differences between the surveyed groups related to the image of the consumer of ecological products. The fact is that the consumer of ecological products, including renewable energy, is perceived as a rather young person, making decisions on their own, caring for the environment, demanding, and valuing quality more than low price. Moreover, the analysis of the results of the quantitative study shows that people who buy energy from renewable sources perceive the ecological consumer to a greater extent as a person who acts rationally, while those who do not buy ecological products are closer to the opinion that the consumer of ecological products acts under the influence of emotions. The emerging image of the characteristics of an ecological product consumer allows for the conclusion that people who do not buy ecological products perceive the consumer of ecological products as wealthy to a greater extent than buyers of renewable energy. At the same time, it should be noted that people who do not buy ecological products perceive the consumer of ecological products more in the context of being a poser and living to show off than buyers of renewable energy. The semantic profile of the consumer of ecological products that considers the opinions of consumers of renewable and people not purchasing ecological products is shown in Figure 2.

5. Discussion

Wishing to prevent unfavorable climate change and environmental pollution, a growing number of consumers express their willingness to introduce changes in their everyday lives to reduce the negative impact of humans on the environment [43]. The further development of the market of green energy and other ecological products depends on changes in consumer attitudes, their awareness and environmental sensitivity, as well as determinants of economic nature. When discussing the results of the conducted quantitative empirical study and the results of the literature review, it can be noted that economic conditions, including the price, are an important criterion considered in the decision-making processes of renewable energy consumers. This conclusion is also confirmed by the results of studies by other authors, which indicate that consumers who use green energy sources are more often guided by economic issues when making decisions about using these sources, rather than the altruism [44] that refers to the concern for the natural environment and the need to care for it. When answering the first research question (RQ1), it should be stated that the decision-making process of the renewable energy consumer is characterized by the fact that the largest percentage of consumers compare many offers and think for a long time about the choice of the offer when deciding to purchase renewable energy. Therefore, it should be emphasized that the research revealed the existence of mechanisms related to a comprehensive and prudent style of making purchasing decisions in the studied population [16]. In the era of the development of the Internet and the virtualization of social and economic life, it should be emphasized that among the buyers of renewable energy, the largest percentage represents those who search for information on the Internet before buying, but the actual purchase is made in the real world. This proves that the ROPO [45] effect occurs more frequently than the reverse ROPO effect in the studied population.

Construction and finishing materials, as well as home electronics and household appliances are product categories other than renewable energy that are especially susceptible to the ROPO effect in Poland [46]. Referring to social determinants [47], it should also be added that the surveyed consumers of renewable energy are, to a similar extent, oriented towards individual decision-making in terms of purchasing this energy, as well as collective decision-making and considering the opinions of all household members. At the same time, it is also interesting that when consumers make a purchase decision regarding the use of renewable energy, they indicate considering the opinions of others in the decision-making process more often than in the case of other categories of ecological products.

Moving on to answering the second research question (RQ2), it should be emphasized based on the results of the statistical analyses regarding the adjustment of the offer to the needs of consumers, that two internally complex groups of products that form the offer of organic products can be distinguished. The conclusion that renewable energy, electric cars and ecological interior design product groups are assessed by Polish consumers as rather narrow was an important finding that results from the conducted empirical study. What is significant for these product categories is that consumers think about the choice for a relatively long time, as well as compare many offers, whereas the purchase is often performed at physical points of sale. This is because products from this group are purchased less frequently. The second group comprises ecological food, biocosmetics and ecological clothing. These are products that consumers buy with greater frequency, their offer is assessed as relatively broad, and purchase decisions are made rather quickly based on a comparison of several offers.

The analysis and interpretation of the conducted research procedure results leads to the conclusion that there is a need to develop the offer in the field of renewable energy and use the marketing potential, especially ecological marketing [48], in stimulating the demand for this type of energy. This conclusion results from the answer to research question RQ3. The consumer of ecological products, including energy from renewable sources, is perceived as a rather young person, making decisions on their own, caring for the environment, demanding, and appreciating quality more than low price. However, people who do not buy ecological products perceive the consumer of eco-logical products more in the context of being a poser and living for show than buyers of renewable energy. In addition, people who do not buy ecological products perceive the consumer of ecological products more as a wealthy consumer than those who buy energy from renewable sources. This means that in marketing and educational activities ad-dressed to Polish consumers there is a need to emphasize the long-term economic benefits resulting from the use of energy from renewable sources, on the one hand, and on the other, to build positive attitudes towards the natural environment, which will translate into real consumer sensitivity and commitment to environmental issues.

6. Conclusions

Purchasing energy generated from renewable sources supports harmonious human functioning in nature and is a manifestation of a new humanism [49]. Shaping the environmental awareness of consumers appears to be a necessary but insufficient condition for the development of responsible consumption that considers social and environmental consequences. This is because the decision-making processes of buyers of energy from renewable sources, the consumption of which is part of the concept of sustainable development, depend on many factors, including economic ones.

The contribution to the theory resulting from the implementation of the research procedure results from the statement that in the case of the consumers of renewable energy in Poland participating in the research, factors such as price and quality, as well as the manufacturer’s certification play a vital role in the decision-making processes. Furthermore, the surveyed consumers of renewable energy most often search for information online before buying, and then make the purchase in the real world. For decision-making processes regarding the purchase of renewable energy, it is also typical that the consumers compare many offers and spend a relatively long time choosing an offer. It should also be noted that in terms of assessing the adjustment of the offer to the needs of renewable energy consumers, some differences are also observed. They are related to the age of the respondents, as younger consumers assessed the level of adjusting the offer to their needs higher than older people.

Considering the results obtained in the empirical study, managerial implications should also be indicated. They concern emphasizing, in marketing activities, the possible long-term economic benefits resulting from the use of renewable energy. This conclusion results from the fact that the price is an important selection criterion, while at the same time, people who do not buy organic products perceive the consumer of organic products as wealthy to a greater extent than those who buy energy from renewable sources. This means that economic factors play a significant role both among current and potential consumers of renewable energy.

Being aware that each research procedure has its limitations, the trends of future research should include the need to further extend it in order to identify the decision-making processes of renewable energy consumers in countries other than Poland. It would be especially useful to examine the decision-making processes of consumers from countries at various stages of socio-economic development. It would be cognitively interesting to identify culturally determined differences in consumer decision-making processes. The limitation of the currently conducted research is also the fact that the presented results concern the 18–65 age group. Therefore, in the future, the research could be extended to include younger and older age groups. Representatives of the upper class, who are an exemplary group and have great consumer power resulting not only from high income, but also from knowledge and consumption competences, is another group of respondents that could be targeted by future research. In the case of this group, a different research technique should be used, as people from this group rarely participate in research conducted with the use of Internet panels. It would be more appropriate to use face to face surveys in the case of these respondents.

Another important research trend in the area of the discussed issues is its implementation among other market entities, especially among representatives of enterprises dealing with the production and sale of devices enabling the reception of energy from renewable sources. This would allow the information obtained from consumers to be extended to include information from entities representing the supply side of the market under investigation. Another direction of research development in the area of the analyzed subject is to repeat the measurement in 2–3 years on a similar sample of consumers in Poland. This would make it possible to monitor changes observed in the behavior of consumers of renewable energy compared to other categories of ecological products. Moreover, the new research context is related to the situation caused by the war in Ukraine and the disruption of the energy supply chain. In future research, the effects of the war in Ukraine could be analyzed through the prism of the development of green technologies and progress in the field of energy transformation.