Abstract
Despite increased discussion about “ethical consumerism”, insufficient attention has been given to consumers’ attitudes in regard to socio-ethical issues and how well they may align with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) expectations. An online survey of 1201 US consumers was conducted to determine how demographics and lifestyle choices might reflect and inform purchasing decisions. Women, younger respondents and more educated respondents were more likely to value and support environmental protection aspects of social responsibility in their consumption behaviors. Women and younger respondents were also more sensitive to animal welfare concerns, as were vegetarians and vegans, who also strongly supported environmental protection through consumption. Those who traveled, volunteered or engaged in charitable giving also reported more highly valuing the environmental, animal welfare, corporate responsibility and philanthropic dimensions of social responsibility. All demographics reported avoiding companies that used advertisements that were deceptive or depicted minorities negatively. Collectively, this analysis suggests that a wide array of ethical concerns are considered by many US consumers in their current purchasing behaviors and that the values underlying their actions may indeed hold implications for consumer perceptions of and support for corporations and their CSR initiatives.
Highlights
There is increasing evidence that in many developed nations, a growing segment of consumers is interested in demonstrating social consciousness via their purchasing behavior
Few studies have focused on the lifestyle choices associated with consumer social responsibility (Roberts, 1995), which makes it difficult to know to what extent ethical consumer behaviors may be related to perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
This study builds on existing research linking consumer social responsibility behaviors to key demographics and suggests that underlying associated values, beliefs and knowledge may hold potential implications for CSR expectations
Summary
There is increasing evidence that in many developed nations, a growing segment of consumers is interested in demonstrating social consciousness via their purchasing behavior. Lack of knowledge about consumers’ values and beliefs (and how these drive people’s perceptions of their own and others’ ethical behavior) is problematic since such beliefs very likely inform their decision-making about corporations and brands (Crane, 2005; Brunk, 2010) Further to this point, Auger et al (2007) observes that lack of clarity relative to understanding what social responsibility means to a given society can result in practices and policies that are misaligned with public expectations, and are ineffective. Responsible consumers were defined as those who consider the environmental impacts of their purchasing behavior and attempt to buy products or services that either positively influence the environment (or do the least harm) or those who use their purchasing power as a means of expressing their socio-ethical concerns (Roberts, 1995). Expanding on Roberts’ (1995) concepts, consumer behaviors and attitudes on topics ranging from dietary choices to environmental and social concerns were explored
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