Ethical Consumption Behavior Research Articles

윤리적 소비동기, 윤리적 소비, 공정관광 참여의도의 영향관계에 관한 연구

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between ethical consumption motives, ethical consumption and fair tourism behavior intention. To achieve the goals of this study, survey was conducted during the period from November 4 to 15 of 2019 in Busan, Republic of Korea. Total of 150 samples were utilized for the final analysis. According to the analysis, motives of ethical consumption had partial impacts on ethnical consumption. Also, ethical consumption had partially influenced on participation intention on fair tourism. Practical and theoretical implications of the results were addressed with the directions for future study based on the results of this study.

조건부가치평가법을 이용한 지리산 공정여행의 가치평가: 윤리적 소비행동을 중심으로

조건부가치평가법을 이용한 지리산 공정여행의 가치평가: 윤리적 소비행동을 중심으로

Assessing ethical consumer behavior for sustainable development: The mediating role of brand attachment

AbstractDespite being ethically concerned, sometimes ethically minded consumers opted for unethical brands. This research aims to uncover the underlying reasons and the role of self‐congruence theory to bridge this intention‐behavior gap. This paper analyses the impact of actual self‐concept (ASC) and ideal self‐congruence (ISC) on different dimensions of ethically minded consumer behavior (EMCB) in presence of brand attachment (BA) as mediator. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to investigate these issues in a sample of 674 respondents. The results reveal that the positively significant relationship of the ASC and ISC with the dimensions of EMCB is negatively mediated by BA. For managers, findings offer a strategical direction and real‐world approach to improving BA and ethical concerns simultaneously without exploiting customer's actual self while promising a strong customer value. This study develops holistic theoretical model that addresses the intention‐behavior gap in sustainable development literature and enhances the understanding of self‐congruence and ethically minded consumption where brands are involved.

Ethical Consumer Behavior: Does Second-Hand Consumption Influence Satisfaction with Life?

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.

Influence of Variables to Reduce the Intention and Behaviour Purchase Gaps in Eco-Label Food Products

Academic researchers have sought to examine the variables that affect purchasing behaviour and the development of models for ethical consumer behaviour due to the fact that consumers are increasingly aware of the impact that daily food products can have on the environment. As a result, the demand for environmentally friendly food has increased rapidly and the companies have created different eco-labels to encourage consumers to buy their products. However, there is still a large gap between the intent to purchase eco-labeled products and the actual purchasing behaviour. Thus, this paper explains and assesses the extrinsic and intrinsic variables that could reduce the gap between eco-label purchase intention and the actual purchase behaviour for eco-labelled food products based on the TRA theory. The qualitative findings show that product benefits consumer environmental knowledge, consumer environmental awareness and demographic aspects, all which influence or affect the purchase intention for ecolabelled food, while the eco-label type I has no relationship with the intention of purchase for food with eco-label attributes. This paper is very useful for Latin American food companies given that most of the current research has been focused on European countries.

What makes materialistic consumers more ethical? Self-benefit vs. other-benefit appeals

Materialism is known to be negatively related to consumers’ ethical behaviors, and prior research has often assumed that highly materialistic consumers do not behave ethically. This study challenges such conventional wisdom and investigated ways to motivate highly materialistic consumers to engage in ethical consumption behaviors by examining the moderating role of the appeal type across two studies. The results indicated that highly materialistic consumers showed more positive attitudinal and behavioral responses to ethical products and campaigns when self-benefit (vs. other-benefit) appeals are implemented; however, less materialistic consumers’ responses did not depend on the appeal type. The two egoistic motivations, protective and enhancement motivations, were found to mediate the positive effect of self-benefit appeals among highly materialistic consumers. These findings suggest that materialistic and ethical values do not represent opposite ends of a single dimension, but rather indicate two independent dimensions in the same individual. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.

Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on Ethical Consumption among a Moroccan Population

According to the literature review, ethics in consumer choice is expressed by consumers. However, the measurement of ethicalconsumption is still poorly adapted because of its diversified definition in the marketing of consumer behavior. According to theliterature review, there is no global scale for measuring ethical consumption behavior in an Arabic-speaking population. For thisreason, our objective is to validate a questionnaire on ethical consumption and to determine the profile of this type of consumption among the Moroccan population. A methodological choice is a quantitative approach in which we used a technicalsheet with a self-questionnaire and a questionnaire on ethical consumption. The scale validation process is based on two steps.Initially, we calculated the reliability of the entire questionnaire and the three dimensions of the scale by Cronbach's alpha.Exploratory factorial analyses were then carried out. There are 161 participants, 55% of whom are female compared to 45%male. The average age of the participants was 41.8±13.4 years. For the internal consistency of the questionnaire, we calculatedthe Cronbach index, which was 0.8 for the whole scale, α=0.7 for ethical consumption of textiles, 0.7 for ethical consumption offood and psychoactive substances and α=0.8 for the consumption of hygiene, beauty and cosmetic products. consumption of foodand psychoactive substances and α=0.8 for the consumption of hygiene, beauty and cosmetic products.

The Gap between Attitudes and Behavior in Ethical Consumption: A Critical Discourse

Background: Although consumers are increasingly concerned with ethical factors when forming product opinions and making purchase decisions, recent studies have highlighted significant differences between consumers’ ethical consumption intentions and their actual buying behavior.Various dimensions concerning how consumers make purchase and consumption decisions and the driving forces behind them have been identified through this study.
 Objectives: This paper aims to explore the factors leading the gap between attitudes and behavior of consumers in relation to ethical consumption.
 Methods: The desk review carried out on various related studies reflects that the factors that obstruct the process of ethical consumption and thereby being responsible in forming attitude-behavior gap, which can be helpful in the course of management decision implications worth encouragement of ethical consumption behavior. Moreover, conceptual framework that has been developed for ethical consumption also indicates the factors responsible for creating ethical intention-behavior gap.
 Findings: This study derives concepts on ethical consumption from literature survey and identifies consumers’ understanding level on ethical consumption. Likewise, the study also provides a comprehensive picture of factors impeding ethical consumption among consumers while providing some theoretical and analytical applications.
 Conclusions: Price, quality, taste, brand image of products and convenience are some of the considerable issues while buying, due to which consumers’ ethical concerns towards society and environment are not transformed into their consumption behavior.

성인소비자의 자기결정성요인이 윤리적 소비행동에 미치는 영향 : 자기결정성요인에 따른 유형분류 및 윤리적 소비행동분석

본 연구는 성인소비자를 대상으로 하여 자기결정성요인이 윤리적 소비행동에 미치는 영향을 살펴보고, 자기결 정성요인으로 소비자유형을 분류한 후 유형별 윤리적 소비행동을 분석하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 전국적인 온라인 설문조사를 실시하여, 총 500부의 설문지를 자료로 하여 t-test, 일원분산분석, 상관관계분석, 위계적 회귀분석, 군집분석 등을 실시하였다. 주요 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 자기결정성요인은 유능성이 가장 높고 자율성이 가장 낮았다. 학력이 높고 가계소득이 높으며 직업이 있 는 경우 유능성과 관계성이 높았고, 자율성은 직업이 있는 경우 높았다. 둘째, 윤리적 소비행동에서 절제와 간소 가 가장 높았으며 공동체운동은 상대적으로 가장 낮았다. 여자와 무직자의 경우 상거래 윤리수준이 높으며, 기혼 과 직업이 있는 사람이 공동체운동을 더 많이 하고, 적극적 구매와 로컬소비는 직업이 있는 사람에게서 더 높았 다. 한편 연령이 높을수록 공정무역을 제외한 모든 윤리적 소비를 많이 하고, 학력이 높을수록 적극적 구매와 불 매운동, 공정무역소비, 공동체운동을 많이 하였다. 셋째, 상거래 윤리를 제외한 모든 윤리적 소비에 유능성은 정 적인 영향을 미치었다. 관계성은 상거래 윤리, 절제와 간소를 제외한 5가지 윤리적 소비에 정적인 영향을 주었 다. 자율성은 상거래 윤리와 절제와 간소에서는 정적인 영향을 미쳤으나 공동체 운동에서는 부적인 영향을 미치 었다. 넷째, 유능성과 자율성, 관계성이 높은 ‘자기결정성우수집단’은 공동체 운동을 제외한 모든 윤리적 소비행동 에서 가장 높은 수준을 보여, 유능성과 자율성, 관계성의 자기결정성요인은 윤리적 소비행동의 긍정적인 동기를 제공해 주는 것을 확인하였다. 다섯째, 유능성과 관계성은 높으나 자율성이 낮은 ‘자율성부족집단’은 공동체 운동 의 수준이 가장 높으나 반대로 상거래 윤리 수준은 가장 낮았다. 이는 공동체 운동에 유능성과 관계성은 정적 영 향을 주나 자율성은 부적 영향을 주고 있음을, 그리고 상거래 윤리에는 유능성과 관계성이 영향을 미치지 않고 오직 자율성만이 정적 영향을 미치고 있음을 확인하였다.

예비유아교사의 자아존중감과 자기결정성이 윤리적 소비행동에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 예비유아교사의 자아존중감과 자기결정성이 윤리적 소비행동에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지 살펴보았다. 이를 위해 부산, 경남지역 유아교육과 학생 392명을 대상으로 유의표집 방법으로 설문조사를 실시하였다. 설문결과는 SPSS Win. 25.0을 사용하여 빈도, 백분율, 평균, 표준편차 등 기초분석과 Cronbach α 신뢰도 계수, 상관관계, 다중회귀분석을 실시하였다. 연구결과, 예비유아교사의 자아존중감과 자기결정성은 중간수준 이상으로 높은 편이었다. 윤리적 소비행동 수준은 구매운동영역이 가장 높았으며 기부와 나눔 영역의 참여율이 가장 낮았다. 전체 윤리적 소비행동에 영향을 미치는 변수는 자기결정성의 유능성, 관계성, 자율성의 순으로 나타났고 자아존중감은 영향을 미치지 않았다. 이 연구결과는 예비유아교사들이 윤리적 소비행동을 하기 위해 자기결정성의 중요성을 확인하였다는 점에서 의의가 있다.

The effects of ethical consumption educational experience in family and educational perspective on ethical consumption behavior in pre-service early childhood teachers

The effects of ethical consumption educational experience in family and educational perspective on ethical consumption behavior in pre-service early childhood teachers

Ethical consumption intentions and choice behavior towards organic food. Moderation role of buying and environmental concerns

Abstract This study investigated the factors driving ethical consumption intentions and choice behavior among community-based buyers and non-buyers using the theory of consumption values. The moderating influence of buying involvement and environment concerns on all the studied relationships was also examined. Data were collected using structured questionnaire survey at different organic farmers' markets. A total of 282 community-centric organic buyers and 170 non-buyers participated in the study. Structural equation modelling approach was employed for data analysis. The results indicated the significant association of social, emotional, and epistemic values with ethical consumption intentions. Epistemic value was identified as the most important influencer towards both ethical consumption and choice behavior. Buyers and non-buyers were not significantly different. However, consumers with varying levels of environmental concerns were statistically different when it came to the associations of epistemic and price-related functional values and ethical consumption intentions. The study results could be utilized by managers and practitioners to target this niche market and promote organic food among the mainstream market. This may, in turn, lead to increased adoption of the cleaner production practices in terms of organic farming, which is beneficial for both people and the planet.

Testing the effects of reciprocal norm and network traits on ethical consumption behavior

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to pursue the following two objectives. First, this study examines how social capital indicators (reciprocal norm and social network) cause ethical consumption behavior by conceptualizing it as value co-creation specific to socially responsible firms. Second, it aims to verify whether corporate trust, which is another core indicator of social capital, mediates between social capital indicators and ethical consumption behavior.Design/methodology/approachFor study subjects, the author selected general public located in the city of Seoul. A total of 307 respondents were used for statistical analysis after discarding unusable questionnaires. For the purpose of judgment sampling, the author selected those respondents who had prior purchase experience of the products or services provided by socially responsible firms.FindingsThis study tested core elements of social capital (reciprocal norm, social network and corporate trust) as predictors of ethical consumption behavior. In particular, the study newly conceptualized and validated ethical consumption behavior as one encompassing the civic engagement behavior whose premise is well encapsulated by value co-creation principle. The results demonstrate that the social network and reciprocal norm significantly influence ethical consumption behavior directly as well as indirectly through corporate trust.Research limitations/implicationsThe significance of this study may be that it adds to current literature on ethical consumption behavior by validating an empirical model of ethical consumption behavior from the perspective of consumer engagement paradigm. No previous studies of ethical consumption behavior empirically tested this model previously, only offering conceptual similarity between ethical consumption and consumer engagement. The study’s result may provide some insights as to the utility of value co-creation strategy for socially responsible firms as a useful way to promote ethical consumption behavior.Practical implicationsThis study’s result may provide some useful insights as to how socially responsible firms can improve their performance by understanding what makes their customers voluntarily engage in favor of the firms to create shared values. In particular, the finding on the corporate trust mediating between bonding network and ethical consumption behavior sheds useful insights for the firms on how they should garner customer trust to trigger ethical consumption behavior. In this sense, socially responsible firms need to focus their resources on publicity or endorsements by highly respected celebrities designed to stress the firms’ trustworthiness and create favorable corporate image.Social implicationsThe finding that reciprocal norm has a significant impact on ethical consumption behavior also provides strategic implications on how to enhance the effectiveness of corporate messages. That is, the socially responsible firms should implement some corporate strategies designed to raise authentic corporate image of the firms by hiring the socially disadvantaged and returning some portion of profit back to society. By doing this, the socially responsible firms can expect to instill some sense of reciprocity into their current as well as potential customers.Originality/valueDespite this conceived linkage, no previous research has empirically approached ethical consumption from the perspective of civic engagement to examine whether ethical consumers voluntarily engage in firm-specific engagement behavior that fulfills their civic responsibility. Therefore, the present research embarks on a new approach to conceptualize ethical consumption as a construct that embodies civic engagement that is conceptually encapsulated by the principle of value co-creation.

Understanding consumer resistance to the consumption of organic food. A study of ethical consumption, purchasing, and choice behaviour

Although the demand for organic food is growing globally, the mainstream consumption of organic food is far less. The present study attempts to understand the underlying reasons for consumer resistance toward consuming organic food using the theoretical framework of innovation resistance theory (IRT). The study further examines the association between different consumer barriers and purchase decisions (purchase intentions, ethical consumption intentions, and choice behaviour) at different levels of buying involvement and environmental concerns. The collected data, consisting of 452 consumers, were analyzed by structural equation modeling approach. The results showed that value barrier shared a negative association with purchase intentions and ethical consumption intentions. Ethical consumption and purchase intention were found to have a direct influence on choice behaviour. Additionally, the relationship between ethical consumption intention and choice behaviour is mediated by purchase intention. However, no significant differences have emerged based on the level of buying involvement and environment concerns. The findings of the study provide insight into public policymakers, marketers, suppliers, and consumer associations by enhancing their current understanding of buying behaviour of the growing organic food community.

Honesty, Social Presence and Self-Service in Retail

Abstract Retail self-service checkouts (SCOs) can benefit consumers and retailers, providing control and autonomy to shoppers independent from staff. Recent research indicates that the lack of presence of staff may provide the opportunity for consumers to behave dishonestly. This study examined whether a social presence in the form of visual, humanlike SCO interface agents had an effect on dishonest user behaviour. Using a simulated SCO scenario, participants experienced various dilemmas in which they could financially benefit themselves undeservedly. We hypothesized that a humanlike social presence integrated within the checkout screen would receive more attention and result in fewer instances of dishonesty compared to a less humanlike agent. Our hypotheses were partially supported by the results. We conclude that companies adopting self-service technology may consider the implementation of social presence to support ethical consumer behaviour, but that more research is required to explore the mixed findings in the current study. Research Highlights A method by Vohs and Schooler (2008) was adapted for investigating dishonesty. Social presence is proposed as a mediator for dishonest behaviour. There is scope for social presence to influence user behaviour in a world that increasingly relies on self-service transactions. The effectiveness of measures of dishonesty needs to be researched further.

Purchasing Counterfeits and Citizenship: Public Service Motivation Matters

The purpose of this study was to examine how consumers’ public service motivation (PSM) is related to ethical consumption behaviors and how past experience of unethical behavior can reduce the impact of PSM on ethical consumer behaviors. A nationally representative sample from South Korea was used to explore how PSM influences willingness to purchase fashion counterfeits and how the impact of PSM differs for those with and without past experience buying fashion counterfeits. Higher PSM was associated with less willingness to buy counterfeits. Past experience buying counterfeits was associated with greater willingness to buy counterfeits. Past experience buying counterfeits intervened between the impact of PSM and willingness to buy counterfeits such that the impact of PSM was weakened.

When Guilt is Not Enough: Interdependent Self-Construal as Moderator of the Relationship Between Guilt and Ethical Consumption in a Confucian Context

Guilt appeals have been found effective in stimulating ethical consumption behaviors in western cultures. However, studies performed in Confucian cultural contexts have found contradictory results. We aim to investigate the inconclusive results of research on guilt and ethical consumption and to explain the inconsistencies. We aim to better understand the influence of guilt on ethical consumption in a Chinese Confucian context and to explore the culturally relevant individual-level concept of interdependent self-construal as a moderator. We build our argument on the Confucian ethics of ren-yi-li where the virtue of propriety (li 礼) specifies role-based obligations depending on the proximity of one’s relationship to others and may thus limit ethical behaviors that are directed to those who are relationally distant. We hypothesize a positive relationship between guilt and ethical consumption that is, however, negatively moderated by interdependent self-construal. Put another way, consumers who define themselves strongly through their relationships with close others are less likely to compensate for guilt through ethical consumption. We find the hypothesized model supported in a survey of 314 Chinese consumers. The results suggest that guilt appeals can stimulate ethical consumption in Confucian cultures. However, guilt appeals may not be enough, as the moderating effect suggests that they will be most effective when combined with an ethical consumption initiative that conforms to the Confucian li principle. As this principle implies prioritizing close over distant relationships, it follows that consumers may be more likely to respond to guilt appeals which are linked to ethical consumption initiatives whose beneficiaries they feel connected to.

The Effect of Self-Regulation Ability, Materialism and Altruism on Ethical Consumption Behavior in Children Consumers

The Effect of Self-Regulation Ability, Materialism and Altruism on Ethical Consumption Behavior in Children Consumers

Ethical consumer behaviour in Germany: The attitude‐behaviour gap in the green apparel industry

AbstractIn today's society, the trend of ethical consumerism is undeniable. Yet, even though consumers are ethically concerned, they rarely transform their intentions into a green purchasing behaviour—and this phenomenon is also evident in the sustainable fashion industry. This study aims to understand the prevailing attitude‐behaviour gap and explores the barriers that constrain consumers in purchasing green apparel. A total of 13 in‐depth interviews were conducted and analysed to the principles of grounded theory. The analysis reveals that the following barriers impede consumption of sustainable fashion: price, availability, knowledge, transparency, image, inertia and consumption habits. The impact of each dimension on consumers' purchase decisions might be of interest to apparel manufacturers and retailers who should implement strategies to encourage eco‐conscious apparel acquisition and focus on diminishing these barriers. Accordingly, three major recommendations are made: (a) to concentrate on specific product attributes; (b) to adopt an efficient digital communication strategy; and (c) to make a greater effort on making green apparel attainable. This study contributes to the overall understanding of consumer behaviour in the ethical fashion industry and examines in‐depth the purchasing criteria for sustainable fashion for consumers.

Exploring Korean Consumers' Attitudes Toward Ethical Consumption Behavior in the Light of Affect and Cognition

ABSTRACTAttitudes are known to be one of the influential factors of ethical consumption behavior. However, attitudes have not yet fully proven their utility in predicting ethical consumer behaviors. The attitude-behavior gap in the area of ethical consumption may be related to a lack of understanding in the underlying structure of attitudes, which are composed of two attitudinal properties: affect and cognition. To address these concerns, this study explored 581 Korean respondents' overall attitudes, affect, cognition, and their relationship with the corresponding behaviors on four ethical consumption issues: purchasing energy-saving products; purchasing organic foods; purchasing recycled products; and participating in boycotts through a survey analysis. In detail, we assessed which attitudinal bases of either affect or cognition were better at predicting the overall attitudes toward ethical consumption and the corresponding behaviors. The results indicated that while respondents held positive attitudes toward the four ethical consumption issues, their attitudes toward them were more based on cognition rather than affect. Furthermore, the self-reported frequencies of the corresponding behaviors were also more influenced by cognition rather than affect. This research suggested the potential to improve the consistency between attitudes and behaviors by highlighting the underlying bases of attitudes – affect and cognition.