Antecedents and consequences of anxiety: the relevance of perceived legitimacy Online publication date: Thu, 10-Jul-2025
by Alicia Blanco-González; Gabriel Cachón-Rodríguez; Francisco Díez-Martín; Giorgia Miotto
International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development (IJISD), Vol. 19, No. 4, 2025
Abstract: Mental health is considered as a relevant issue worldwide. It has been included in the UN Sustainable Agenda and is a political priority for policy makers. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that hygiene and safety are antecedents of anxiety, and that legitimacy and purchase intention are their consequences. We surveyed 1200 regular supermarket shoppers. Results show that hygiene has no significance, since it is a retailing attribute that is given for grant by consumers. Safety actions reduce consumers' anxiety and anxiety negatively influences legitimacy and purchase intention. In addition, legitimacy has a positive influence on purchase intention. This study has important academic implications since it introduces anxiety as a new variable into the agenda of business management scholars. The research highlights managerial implications such as the need to invest on safety in the retail shops and communication to reduce customers' anxiety perception.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development (IJISD):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com