What affects consumer’s participation in vehicle scrappage programmes? An empirical study on scrapping intentions

This study examines consumer intentions toward scrapping End-of-Life vehicles (ELVs) to understand how vehicle scrappage policies might alleviate environmental deterioration caused by emissions from outdated vehicles. The research objective is to assess the factors influencing consumer decisions regarding vehicle scrappage, using a model grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Data was collected from 403 valid responses and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.The findings reveal that the original TPB model accounts for 58.3% of the variance in consumer intentions to scrap vehicles. However, incorporating sociodemographic variables into the model increases the explained variance to 80.6%, with perceived behavioral control as the most influential factor, followed by consumer attitudes. We found that subjective norms do not influence consumers' intentions to participate in scrappage programs. Younger consumers were more likely to support vehicle scrappage, while environmental concerns alone did not foster a positive attitude toward scrappage.In conclusion, while consumer intentions to scrap vehicles are primarily influenced by control and attitude, targeted interventions are needed to enhance policy adoption. Key managerial implications include: promoting acceptance through tailored advertisements, offering differentiated subsidies, engaging younger audiences through awareness campaigns, and redefining promotional strategies to encourage ELV scrappage effectively.