Beyond Rational Choice: A Dual-Process Account of Concert Attendance Intention Among Vietnamese Generation Z

Experiential consumption defines Generation Z spending across Southeast Asia, yet the psychological mechanisms linking cognitive evaluation and emotional attachment to attendance decisions remain insufficiently understood. This study proposes and empirically tests a parsimonious dual-process model of concert attendance intention among Vietnamese Generation Z consumers, integrating five constructs: social relatedness, attitude, perceived behavioral control, parasocial attachment, and behavioral intention. Drawing on self-determination theory, the theory of planned behavior, and parasocial relationship theory, the model distinguishes a cognitive pathway through which communal relatedness shapes evaluative attitudes that drive intention from an emotional pathway through which parasocial attachment directly influences intention. A final sample of 265 valid responses (screened from 307) was analyzed via covariance-based structural equation modeling in R (lavaan) with 5,000-resample bootstrap mediation. Model fit was good (comparative fit index = .950, root mean square error of approximation = .054). All four hypothesized paths were supported, with parasocial attachment emerging as the strongest predictor (standardized coefficient = .418). Attitude fully mediates the relatedness–intention relationship. The model explains 69.0% of variance in intention. Findings offer practical guidance for concert promoters and artist management teams in Southeast Asia’s rapidly expanding live music sector.