How Sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility Shapes Brand Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Role of Brand Reliability and the Moderating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility Skepticism

Sustainable corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increasingly been recognized as a strategic tool for strengthening consumer-brand relationship. However, its impact on consumer behavior depends on how consumers interpret and respond to these initiatives. Based on Social Exchange Theory, Attribution Theory and Social Identity Theory, this study examines how sustainable CSR influences brand citizenship behavior by considering the roles of brand reliability and CSR skepticism. Data were collected from 385 consumers through an online survey and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that sustainable CSR positively affects both brand reliability and brand citizenship behavior and that brand reliability also has a positive effect on brand citizenship behavior. In addition, brand reliability partially mediates the relationship between sustainable CSR and brand citizenship behavior. The findings further indicate that CSR skepticism weakens the positive effect of sustainable CSR on both reliability and brand citizenship behavior as well as its indirect effect through brand reliability. Overall, the results suggest that sustainable CSR is more effective in fostering brand citizenship behavior when consumers perceive CSR initiatives as credible. This study provides an integrated perspective on how sustainable CSR shapes consumer responses and offers insights into the conditions under which these effects become stronger.