Consumption Behavior Research Articles

Analysis of charging tariffs for residential electric vehicle users based on Stackelberg game

Establishing a rational pricing mechanism for electric vehicles (EVs) can incentivize users to engage in charging activities, foster positive consumption behaviors, and indirectly benefit the grid by increasing load demand. Therefore, this paper conducts a Stackelberg game study between the grid and EV users by utilizing real charging and discharging data of EV users in F city. First, the price elasticity of EV users' electricity consumption behavior is analyzed. Second, the Stackelberg game model is constructed, multiple tariff schemes are designed to calculate the equilibrium tariff of the game, and the benefits of the grid and EV users are analyzed in comparison with the tariff policy that will be implemented in F city. Lastly, different seasonal scenarios are constructed to extend the applicability of the research results. It is found that Scheme 3 effectively incentivizes charging load growth, increases cross-subsidies and transmission and distribution fees, and protects the level of charging and discharging costs for residents; furthermore, lowering charging and discharging tariffs during seasons of high price elasticity for residents to increase demand is an optimal strategy for grid pricing.

Short‐term electric power and energy balance optimization scheduling based on low‐carbon bilateral demand response mechanism from multiple perspectives

AbstractCarbon emissions limit the output of traditional fuel‐fired generating units, significantly affecting the new power system scheduling mechanism. This paper proposes a short‐term electric power and energy balance optimization scheduling method with low‐carbon bilateral demand response (LCBDR). The LCBDR mechanism framework is constructed by combining the analysis of short‐term electric power and energy balance of the system under a dual perspective, along with the electric‐carbon coupling mechanism of the dynamic scheduling on the source‐load side. Based on the carbon emission flow (CEF) theory, the carbon emission index information of load‐side users is obtained. An optimal scheduling model of LCBDR is established. The enhanced decision tree classifier (EDTC) algorithm is used to predict the electricity consumption behavior of transferable load (TL) users, and an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with “ε‐greedy” strategy is proposed to solve this model. Comprehensive case studies from three different perspectives verify that this method can effectively realize the low‐carbon economic operation of the system, with the peak net load reduced by 24.02% and valley net load increased by 20.43%. Compared with a single perspective, the total operational costs can be reduced by 5.27%, and the carbon emissions of users can be reduced by 5.70%.

Understanding farmed salmon imports and e-commerce consumer satisfaction in China: A text mining approach

Salmon, a luxury aquatic species, has seen a steady increase in imports in China. The rapid development of the Internet, the transformation of consumption behaviour, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted consumers to purchase salmon products from e-commerce platforms in China. In this context, understanding salmon import trends and consumer satisfaction with salmon e-commerce is critical to promoting and sustaining sales of salmon products through e-commerce platforms. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the import trend analysis of salmon in China as well as understand factors influencing consumer satisfaction with salmon e-commerce. We analysed 10,064 consumer comments out of 25,763 for this study after resampling the proportion of positive/negative comments. Sentiment analyser, Textblob, classified 65.2 % of consumer comments as positive, 21.7 % as negative, and 13.1 % as neutral. Additionally, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling identified five areas critical for satisfaction with salmon e-commerce: purchase decision (19.5 % of the comments), eating experience (22.3 %), service quality and delivery (20.6 %), purchase history (17.5 %), and general product quality (20 %). Our findings indicate that service quality and delivery are the most critical factors affecting consumer satisfaction, whereas purchase history has the least impact. Consumers’ PLUS membership profile, salmon product style, and preservation form had a significant influence on consumer satisfaction, while the country of origin, weight and price of the product had no significant influence. Salmon e-commerce platforms need to improve logistic service and delivery quality to influence consumer satisfaction.

Cooking Well with Diabetes: A Healthy Cooking School for Diabetes Prevention and Management.

One in ten Americans suffers from type 2 diabetes, which, if not managed well, can result in severe complications, disability, and premature death. Diabetes education classes can play a pivotal role in providing practical education on diabetes and self-care behaviors, with a particular emphasis on dietary management, which is often regarded as the most demanding diabetes self-care behavior. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service developed Cooking Well with Diabetes (CWWD), a four-week interactive diabetes education series, with each week consisting of a lecture on healthy eating coupled with cooking lessons featuring diabetes-friendly recipes. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of CWWD in improving the frequency of healthy food preparation and consumption of program participants. Secondary data from 2017 to 2023 was analyzed involving 1574 adults from 59 predominantly rural Texas counties. Data from self-reported pre and post evaluations showed improvements in healthy food preparation and consumption behaviors. The curriculum enabled Extension Educators to introduce healthful dietary behaviors to a diverse group of clients. The curriculum can be adapted by Extension Educators in other states reaching a broader audience. The findings will inform future research aimed at planning and implementing successful diabetes education programs.

Occupants’ willingness to reduce in-room energy consumption − a discrete choice experiment (DCE) approach with occupants in a student apartment

This study pioneers a comprehensive methodology to quantify occupants’ willingness to reduce energy consumption behaviors, specifically focusing on student occupants within a student apartment under an all-inclusive payment rental scheme. Employing a dual-component approach, the study combines self-indicated energy consumption behavior attributes with the financial rebate occupants are willing to accept, shedding light on the intricate factors influencing their decisions regarding energy consumption. The Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) serves as a novel tool to identify and measure the financial value, conceptualized as Willingness-to-Accept (WTA), for specific energy-saving behaviors, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the economic valuation placed on sustainable practices. A pre-survey and a DCE-based survey were conducted within the student apartment, the former one comprehending general energy consumption behaviour patterns and rebate preferences, and the latter examining the impact of financial incentives on behavioral changes, providing a comprehensive and longitudinal perspective. The findings highlight the paramount influence of factors such as “air conditioning setpoint” on occupants’ decisions followed by “lighting time” and “shower time”, emphasizing the delicate balance between occupant comfort, financial considerations, and environmental consciousness. Despite limitations related to the specificity of the study context and potential discrepancies between hypothetical and real-world behavior, this research offers practical implications for designing effective energy-saving interventions tailored to the unique characteristics of student occupants. Policymakers and stakeholders can leverage these insights to inform incentive structures, energy conservation initiatives, or pricing strategies that align with consumer preferences, ultimately encouraging sustainable energy practices in residential settings.

The Contribution of Forgotten Foods for Supporting Food Security in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta – Indonesia

Background: Gunungkidul, one of the districts in the special region of Yogyakarta – Indonesia, was reported to have a significant number of food-insecure villages. However, it conserved various forgotten protein-source food as a regional heritage delicacy. This study aims to evaluate the contribution of forgotten foods (edible insects, aquatic animals, indigenous plants) to support food security among poor households in Gunungkidul district, Indonesia. Methods: Food security status was evaluated according to the method by Maxwell. The characteristics of socio-economic households, food consumption behaviour, nutritional status of children under five, and health status of mothers and children among the targets were also assessed through an interview using a structured coded questionnaire. The food consumption pattern was analyzed by using food recall 2 x 24 hours and a semi food frequency questionnaire. This study involved 240 poor households below the poverty line, mainly farmers (60%). Results: This study revealed that 48% of households were food-insecure, 39% were food-vulnerable, 8% were less food-secure, and 5% were food-secure. Aquatic animals and edible insects contributed as many as 22 making up for 1% of daily protein needs, respectively. A preference shifting on those forgotten foods seems to become one barrier to this contribution. Conclusion: The forgotten foods might be an alternative to a future challenge in supporting human well-being. In this case, aquatic animals and edible insects are considered as future protein sources.

‘Are you still watching?’ – A study on the predictors of the problematic practice of binge-watching

By implementing innovative ways of accessing the media, video-on-demand services have renewed the concept of watching television, leading to the growth and popularity of social behavior of content consumption in the form of marathons, known as binge-watching. There is an increase in literature discussions about potential adverse outcomes that can arise from the excess of these marathons. It is because the adversities of its excessive use can affect its users in the social, physical, and mental spheres. Given the relevance of this social problem, this research aims to understand the main determining predictors of the problematic practice of binge-watching. The research sample consisted of binge-watching practitioners (n=467). The linear and multivariate methods used Structural Equation Modeling by Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). As a result, the study showed that the practice, associated with the psychological predisposition of individuals, can lead to the development of negative symptoms similar to addiction to various technologies, compromising the individual’s life both physically and psychologically. This phenomenon intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic when binge-watching was used for distractions, entertainment, and the management of negative sensations arising from the pandemic. Finally, this research contributes to the proposition of an original theoretical model on the problematic practice of binge-watching. It brings elements to reflect from the ESG point of view, as companies must commit to their social governance, thinking of strategies to optimize the obtaining profits, in the present study, subscriptions, without compromising the health of individuals.

Consumer agency in sustainable consumption behaviour and environmentally imposed constraints: A multi‐level approach

Consumer agency in sustainable consumption behaviour and environmentally imposed constraints: A multi‐level approach

Towards the outbreak tail, what is the public opinion about wastewater surveillance in the United States?

National opinions on a wide variety of public health topics can change over time and have highly contextual nuances. This study is a follow-up to prior inquiries into the knowledge of wastewater-based epidemiology, privacy concerns surrounding sample collection, and the use of data acquired, along with privacy awareness from an online survey conducted in the metropolitan United States during the winter of 2023. Mentions of wastewater-surveillance-related terms in the media remained common. Towards the outbreak tail in 2023, public support for surveillance of toxins (91%), diseases (91%), terrorist threats (87%), illicit drugs (70%), prescription medications (69%), and gun residue (60%) remained high. There was less support for surveillance of alcohol consumption (49%), mental illness (46%), healthy eating (37%), and lifestyle behaviors (35%). In terms of geographic scale, most respondents supported citywide surveillance (85%) with markedly lower levels of support for smaller (less anonymous) geographic scales covered by specific locations. Wastewater surveillance does not receive the public pushback that other COVID-19-related health system actors have witnessed. Instead, the public supports the expansion of wastewater surveillance as a standard to complement public health tools in other areas of health protection.

Quasi-critical dynamics in large-scale social systems regulated by sudden events.

How do heterogeneous individual behaviors arise in response to sudden events and how do they shape large-scale social dynamics? Based on a five-year naturalistic observation of individual purchasing behaviors, we extract the long-term consumption dynamics of diverse commodities from approximately 2.2 million purchase orders. We subdivide the consumption dynamics into trend, seasonal, and random components and analyze them using a renormalization group. We discover that the coronavirus pandemic, a sudden event acting on the social system, regulates the scaling and criticality of consumption dynamics. On a large time scale, the long-term dynamics of the system, regardless of arising from trend, seasonal, or random individual behaviors, is pushed toward a quasi-critical region between independent (i.e., the consumption behaviors of different commodities are irrelevant) and correlated (i.e., the consumption behaviors of different commodities are interrelated) phases as the pandemic erupts. On a small time scale, short-term consumption dynamics exhibits more diverse responses to the pandemic. While the trend and random behaviors of individuals are driven to quasi-criticality and exhibit scale-invariance as the pandemic breaks out, seasonal behaviors are more robust against regulations. Overall, these discoveries provide insights into how quasi-critical macroscopic dynamics emerges in heterogeneous social systems to enhance system reactivity to sudden events while there may exist specific system components maintaining robustness as a reflection of system stability.

Behavioral Science Foundations for Global Marketing Research and Practice: The Model of Goal-Directed Behavior

Consumer research in global marketing boasts a number of important variables: values (Schwartz’s concepts; Hofstede’s framework), heuristics (decision rules), identity (global and local, cosmopolitanism), and personality/self-concept (ethnocentrism, conspicuous consumption, materialism). A shortcoming of this body of work concerns the neglect of processes and the need for theories and research grounded in causal mechanisms. Based on six fundamental psychological concepts, we reconceptualize the model of goal-directed behavior (MGB) and suggest how it can predicate basic global consumption behaviors. The key variables in the model are attitudes, emotions, cognition, desire, intentions, behavior/action, and outcomes. By integrating moderators into the MGB, it provides a general framework for explaining global consumer behavior.

Individual and cluster demand response in retail electricity trading with end-users in differentiated oligopoly market: A game-theoretical approach

The characterization of the competitive interdependence among power consumers in power trading system contributes to pursuing efficient power supply and suppressing peak–valley load differences. Even though Stackelberg–Nash game approach has been applied to retail electricity trading with a single utility company and a group of end-users under competitive interdependence, the extension to multi-cluster retail electricity markets is not focused yet and the best strategies of end-users are still decoupled to each other. To bridge this gap this paper investigates the price-based demand response problem in multi-cluster retail electricity markets to coordinate the energy consumption behavior of the end-users and the retail price behavior of the utility companies. Adopting the structure of hierarchical game theory, the cluster retail price is controlled by the utility company to affect the energy consumption demand of end-users within the corresponding cluster and hence increase the income of both the utility companies and the end-users. In order to describe the coupled competition relationship among the bottom end-users in the system, the Cournot competition model of the differentiated oligopoly market is constructed by taking energy consumption as the individual strategy of end-users. The existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium and Stackelberg Nash equilibrium in such a hierarchical game system are proved, and a seeking algorithm is proposed to seek the Stackelberg Nash equilibrium, which is regarded as the extension from the existing algorithm for multi-cluster setup. This work gives an insight to theoretically check whether the utility companies need to redesign the contract with the power generator to ask for larger maximum supply.

Re- Infection Rate of Opisthorchis Viverrini Five Years After Treatment with Praziquantel in High-Risk Area: A Community-Based Study.

Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) is a significant public health problem in Thailand, and OV reinfection poses a serious risk of cholangiocarcinoma with little evidence of a decrease. While numerous studies have explored OV reinfection and prevalence, most have been limited to short study period. Therefore, there is a need for long-term investigations to gather sufficient evidence. This study aimed to access the current status of re-infection rates in high- risk areas and to determine associations between factors of and re-infection of OV at 5 years after treatment with praziquantel. In total, this study included 457 participants from a cohort study. Each participant was required to answer a questionnaire and undergo stool examination using the formalin ethyl acetate concentration technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression. Out of the total 457 participants, 418 (91.5%) successfully completed the questionnaires and underwent stool examinations. Among the participants, 10.8% showed re-infection with OV. Using multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with reinfection OV included yearly income (OR adj = 2.14, 95%CI = 1.11- 4.12, p-value = 0.022) and past stool examination five years (OR adj = 2.47, 95%CI = 1.13-5.43, p-value = 0.023), respectively. Subjects who frequently experience OV reinfection should undergo CCA screening by experts while closely monitoring their raw fish consumption behavior. Moreover, it is essential to implement comprehensive programs aimed at promoting behavioral changes and provide preventive education, with a specific focus on high epidemic areas, to discourage the consumption of raw fish.

Party Over Product: People Exaggerate the Influence of Political Cues on Others’ Consumption Preferences

Consumers often confront offerings that are associated with political cues. For example, a coffee company may tout its liberal relations with employees or suppliers, or may hang bathroom signs that promise to please liberals. In this research, we demonstrate that consumers overestimate how much these partisan cues influence others’ preferences, a pattern we term exaggerated preference polarization. We demonstrate exaggerated preference polarization in five studies, and show that it is robust across a variety of common consumption scenarios. While prior research demonstrates that people often overestimate others’ partisanship, the present research demonstrates that people overestimate the influence of partisan cues on other consumers’ preferences. This research contributes to the literature by identifying a novel way in which political polarization influences consumption behavior, especially for interpersonal decision making. This work also has important implications for firms, who should recognize that people will be more responsive to political signals when choosing for others. We discuss further contributions and directions for future research in the general discussion.

If They'd Said You Should Only Drink Five Units I'd Have Listened: A Mixed Methods Study of Alcohol Consumption Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.

As part of a wider study describing the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on lifestyle behaviours, this paper describes the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on alcohol consumption and factors influencing consumption. Cross-sectional online survey of 140 people (138 women) and interviews with 21 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 10years. Of the 100 survey participants who drank alcohol 25% were drinking at increasing or higher risk levels and 17% strongly wanted to change their drinking behaviour. The habitual aspects of alcohol consumption were the strongest predictor of current alcohol consumption behaviours. Social norms and perceptions about conflicting information were substantial barriers to change. Breast cancer survivors need accurate information about the risks of alcohol consumption and guidelines in order to make informed decisions about making changes to their behaviour. Interventions to support breast cancer survivors to reduce alcohol consumption need to focus on the development of healthy habits and may benefit from a focus which includes partners and friends.

The Impact of Life-Sharing Social Media on Users' Consumption Behavior in the New Media Environment

In today's digital age, life-sharing social media has become an important part of an individual's daily life. These platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter, are not only places where people share their lives but also important influencers and disseminators of consumer culture. With the popularity of social media and the development of technology, consumers' purchasing behaviour and consumption awareness have also been affected in an unprecedented way. However, although it is known that these platforms play an important role in consumer behavior, the specific mechanisms of their influence and the actual impact on consumer behavior are still worthy of in-depth study. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact mechanism of life-sharing social platforms on consumer behaviour and their significance in digital marketing. Through the research method of comprehensive literature analysis, this paper analyzes the role of life-sharing social media platforms in consumer decision-making, brand cognition, and purchasing behaviour. The research finds that the development of social media platforms expands consumers' social networks and information access channels, which in turn affects their purchasing decisions and brand preferences. This finding has important academic and practical implications for optimizing social media marketing strategies and driving progress in the field of consumer behavior research.

The Impact of K-pop Merchandise on the Consumer Behavior of University Students in Shanghai

K-pop merchandise, as one of the main trends in current fashion development, is continuously expanding its audience and influence, particularly among teenagers. This paper conducts a comprehensive study on the impact of K-pop merchandise on the consumer behavior of university students in Shanghai through surveys and interviews. It aims to analyze the consumption behaviors and preferences of these students concerning K-pop merchandise, thereby exploring the significant effects of K-pop merchandise on this student group. The study finds that the consumption behavior of Shanghai university students regarding K-pop merchandise has long-term characteristics. Their purchasing decisions are directly influenced by their internal economic levels and indirectly by the external behaviors of fan communities. However, the cognitive and rational levels of university students are also improving, and their consumption behavior towards K-pop merchandise is shifting towards more rational and value-based decision-making. Overall, the influence and reach of K-pop merchandise are growing, and it is expected to have a sustained impact on the consumption behavior of university students in Shanghai in the future.

Personal Loans (PINPRI) in the Review of Positive Law and Islamic Law

This research aims to answer a problem regarding the practice of pinpri loans that have not been registered with the Financial Services Authority and how Islamic law reviews the reasons people make pinpri loans. The research method used is statute approach analysis and comparison. Based on the results of the study the practice of personal loans (pinpri) is a cash loan that has not been registered with the Financial Services Authority is the practice of lending through individuals and has not been registered or even licensed by the Financial Services Authority so that it can be said to be illegal and violates Financial Services Authority Regulation Number 77 / POJK.01 / 2016 concerning LPMUBTI, then in the practice of personal loans (pinpri) there are additional funds and have regulations that are not by the operational system listed in the cash loan rules. In terms of Islamic law, the reason why people practice personal loans (pinpri) is because of urgent needs, easy disbursement, and consumptive behavior, while this is contrary to the concept of Islamic law in qardh theory. Because in the practice of personal loans (pinpri) that have not been registered with the Financial Services Authority, several elements are not by Islamic law, namely usury, gharar, dharar, and zhulm so the law is haram and harms and brings mudharat to the community

Study on Carbon Emission Influencing Factors and carbon emission reduction potential in China's food production industry

Climate warming has become a global issue of close concern, and China, as a significant agricultural country, has an increasing demand for food, which requires China to increase carbon reduction in this industry. This paper accounts for carbon emissions from the food production industry (CEFI) using the input-output method, then screens the influencing factors of CEFI based on Random Forest (RF), analyzes the heterogeneous effects of the influencing factors on CEFI in different clusters through K-means-SHAP, and finally explores the potential of carbon emissions from this industry for the period 2024–2040. The study's findings are as follows: First, there are apparent inequalities in CEFI, especially between provinces, which are gradually increasing. Second, addressing people's consumption awareness and behaviors is not the fundamental solution to alleviate CEFI; instead, it should focus on sustainable agricultural production transformation and “food miles” in the transportation phase. In addition, attention needs to be paid to the impacts of fertilizer application, transport modes, and livestock management on the CEFI of each cluster. Finally, the study suggests that around 2028, 70% of China's provinces will be at the “carbon peak” and that less developed and more developed regions have more significant potential to reduce emissions. In this regard, this paper encourages a series of policies that are key to promoting the sustainable development of CEFI, such as reducing the volume and efficiency of traditional fertilizers, vigorously developing organic fertilizer inputs, strengthening technological innovation and R&D inputs in the transportation sector, and steadily supporting germplasm innovation in the livestock sector.

Meneropong Fenomena Flexing dalam al-Qur’an: Analisis Semantik Ayat QS. Al-Ḥadīd: 20

Advancements in information technology and its central feature of global connectivity permit the exchange of information and interactions among diverse cultures and religions. Social media platforms have released the boundaries of geographical stretch and demographic regions that approve the infiltration of particular mindsets, lifestyles, and behavioral tendencies. The use of social media in the public sphere has led to a distinctive social behavior in the form of lifestyle dubbed flexing. The flexing lifestyle is a behavioral phenomenon to exhibit one's wealth and self-achievement to urge society to be wasteful. This study aims to examine the phenomenon of flexing from the perspective of the Qur'an; analyze the term al-ḥayāt al-dunyā in the verse of QS. al-Ḥadīd [57]: 20. This research employs interpretive-qualitative analysis using a semantic analysis approach designed by Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas in examining conceptual meanings in the Qur'an. The results of this study indicate that flexing is a nefarious consumption behavior in socio-economic theory refers as emulative consumption. This behavior has become a lifestyle and has impacted the community's mode of living. This lifestyle in the Qur'anic term is called al-ḥayāt al-dunyā, semantically a lowly lifestyle. This concept emerges from a semantic analysis of the phrase al-ḥayāt al-dunyā comprising the meanings la'ib (game), lahw (joking), zīnah (things that are dear to human lust), tafākhur (proud of one's achievements in facade of people), takāṡur (competing in the accumulation of wealth), farḥ (momentary happiness), matā' (temporary pleasure), and ghurūr (something that deceives). In the light of the Qur'an, this behavior is a demeanor mode of living, because it disregards the disobedient from remembering God and the afterlife.