Abstract
What do we really need to live a happy life? Second-hand consumption has been proposed to be a lifestyle choice which is done voluntarily (Steffen, 2017, p. 204) and could increase peoples’ life satisfaction. Besides economic motives, many people consume second-hand for ethical reasons, e.g., to distance themselves from the consumption system, for ecological reasons, social reasons or have hedonic motivations (Guiot & Roux, 2010). Some consumers simply want to shop clever (Gregson & Crewe, 2003, p. 11), started to reduce their consumption or re-use to reduce their ecological footprint (Waight, 2013). This study assesses the relationship between second-hand consumption motivation and satisfaction with life in a structural equation model. 203 Germans participated in the online study and evaluated their motivation for second-hand consumption based on the scale of Guiot and Roux (2010). Satisfaction with life was measured with Diener, Emmons and Griffin’s (1985) Satisfaction of life scale which has been translated into German by Janke and Glöckner-Rist (2014). The findings indicate that consumers primarily buy second-hand to hunt for treasures, to find original products, to engage socially and for ethical reasons. Economic motives were also dominant. The study shows that second-hand consumption motivation does not influence satisfaction with life.
Highlights
Consumers are increasingly concerned of the consequences of their excessive lifestyle (Balderjahn, 2013, p. 202)
The effect strength is not strong enough to conclude that the values related to second-hand shopping motivation, e.g., ethical concerns and distance from the consumption system create enough tension to influence life satisfaction negatively
The weak negative relationship found between critical motivation and satisfaction with life is perhaps only a temporary affect which does not influence overall life satisfaction in the long run
Summary
Consumers are increasingly concerned of the consequences of their excessive lifestyle (Balderjahn, 2013, p. 202). Many people re-use items or buy second-hand to reduce their ecological footprint (Appelgren & Bohlin, 2015). The Statista Global Consumer Survey (2019) shows in a representative sample that 44% of Germans have bought any used good in 2019. The turnover of goods sold in second-hand retail outlets is expected to increase from €2765 mio in 2011 to €3010 mio in 2023 (Statista, 2019). This increasing importance of second-hand goods exchange is reflected in the academic literature. Guiot and Roux (2010) conduct a very good literature review and show that academic research on second-hand consumption has increased over the past decades This increasing importance of second-hand goods exchange is reflected in the academic literature. Guiot and Roux (2010) conduct a very good literature review and show that academic research on second-hand consumption has increased over the past decades
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