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Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Psychology

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 15089

Special Issue Editors

Department of Marketing, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1208, USA
Interests: marketing; sports; values; psychology; attitudes
Unaffiliated Independent Scholar
Interests: psychometrics; sustainability; celebrity endorsements; consumer research; social values; materialism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmentally sustainable consumption includes several consumer behaviors, including, but not limited to, buying green and/or local products, shopping at green retailers, supporting companies that adopt or promote sustainable practices, adequately recycling products at the end of their life cycles, purchasing organic food, and wisely using energy resources that are based on renewable resources. Although there are consumers who want to minimize their impact on earth by adopting at least one of these environmentally friendly consumer behaviors, the majority of consumers are still reluctant to adopt these behaviors completely. The reluctance of consumers to engage in these environmentally sustainable consumption behaviors, in turn, raises several questions regarding the use of sustainable business practices by companies. As those practices tend to be expensive, companies may question the use of them if sufficient demand is uncertain for their sustainable products. Accordingly, it is important for researchers and practitioners to identify the barriers that keep customers from engaging in environmentally sustainable consumption and find ways to deal with those barriers. Consumer psychology theories can prove to be very beneficial in this regard.

With this Special Issue, therefore, we hope to expand the growing body of literature that benefits from consumer psychology knowledge to encourage and increase sustainable consumption among consumers. More specifically, for this Special Issue, we invite conceptual, methodological, and empirical papers in the areas of consumer psychology in relation to sustainable consumption. Possible topics, though, are not limited, and might include the following:

  • Pricing of sustainable products and its impact on sustainable consumption;
  • Sustainability and consumer values;
  • Attitudes and sustainable consumption behaviors;
  • Adoption of innovative sustainable products;
  • Cultural influences on sustainable consumption decisions;
  • Sustainable lifestyles;
  • Individual differences, personality, and sustainable consumption;
  • Traditional media, social media, and sustainable consumption;
  • Impact of opinion leaders, influencers, and celebrity endorsements on sustainable consumption.

Prof. Dr. Lynn Kahle
Dr. Eda Gurel-Atay
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Consumer psychology
  • Consumer behaviors
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Green consumption
  • Consumer values
  • Cultural values
  • Lifestyles
  • Attitudes and behaviors
  • Persuasion
  • Innovation and product development
  • Traditional and social media
  • Celebrity endorsements, opinion leaders, influencers

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 998 KiB  
Article
A Social Marketing Approach to Voluntary Simplicity: Communicating to Consume Less
by Ingo Balderjahn and Dennis Appenfeller
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2302; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15032302 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
Higher eco-efficiency will not be enough to slow global warming caused by climate change. To keep global warming to 2 degrees, people also need to reduce their consumption. At present, however, many who would be able to do so seem unwilling to comply. [...] Read more.
Higher eco-efficiency will not be enough to slow global warming caused by climate change. To keep global warming to 2 degrees, people also need to reduce their consumption. At present, however, many who would be able to do so seem unwilling to comply. Given the threats of a runaway climate change, urgent measures are needed to promote less personal consumption. This study, therefore, examines whether social marketing consume-less appeals can be used to encourage consumers to voluntarily abstain from consumption. As part of an online experiment with nearly 2000 randomly sampled users of an online platform for sustainable consumption, we tested the effectiveness of five different “consume-less” appeals based on traditional advertising formats (including emotional, informational, and social claims). The study shows that consume-less appeals are capable of limiting personal desire to buy. However, significant differences in the effectiveness of the appeal formats used in this study were observed. In addition, we found evidence of rebound effects, which leads us to critically evaluate the overall potential of social marketing to promote more resource-conserving lifestyles. While commercial consumer-free appeals have previously been studied (e.g., Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacked”), this study on the effectiveness of non-commercial consume-free appeals is novel and provides new insights. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Psychology)
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22 pages, 708 KiB  
Article
Engaging in Sustainable Consumption: Exploring the Influence of Environmental Attitudes, Values, Personal Norms, and Perceived Responsibility
by Aistė Čapienė, Aušra Rūtelionė and Krzysztof Krukowski
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10290; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141610290 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2702
Abstract
This study explores the links between environmental attitudes and values, personal norms, perceived responsibility, pro-environmental and prosocial engagement in sustainable consumption, and sustainable consumption behavior. Data was collected by surveying 904 Lithuanians through non-random quota sampling. Empirical research reveals that internal factors, such [...] Read more.
This study explores the links between environmental attitudes and values, personal norms, perceived responsibility, pro-environmental and prosocial engagement in sustainable consumption, and sustainable consumption behavior. Data was collected by surveying 904 Lithuanians through non-random quota sampling. Empirical research reveals that internal factors, such as environmental attitudes, values, personal norms, and perceived responsibility, have a positive direct effect on engagement with sustainable consumption. In addition, the findings indicate that pro-environmental and prosocial engagement to act as a mediator in enhancing the impact on sustainable consumer behavior. The results of this study expand the understanding of the engagement phenomena and how it can assist in shifting to sustainable consumer behavior in the Lithuanian context. Opportunities to encourage sustainable consumption behavior are presented for marketers and policy makers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Psychology)
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15 pages, 548 KiB  
Article
Exploring Generation Z’s Perceptions of Green Homes
by Bhavya Rathna Kota, Luciana Debs and Taylor Davis
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10148; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141610148 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1879
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increase in environmental awareness in the United States, leading to steady growth in environmentally conscious consumerism. Looking specifically at green home marketing, understanding the consumer behavior of the next generation of homebuyers, Generation Z (GenZ), is [...] Read more.
In recent years, there has been an increase in environmental awareness in the United States, leading to steady growth in environmentally conscious consumerism. Looking specifically at green home marketing, understanding the consumer behavior of the next generation of homebuyers, Generation Z (GenZ), is important for environmental and business reasons. This study surveyed 116 university students to explore the influence of specific barriers and types of motivation (intrinsic, instrumental, and non-normative) on their perceptions of green homes. Our findings suggest certain barriers have more influence on GenZ consumers than others, with the perceived lack of choice in selecting Green Home Features (GHFs) as the top barrier, followed by a lack of information about GHFs, and then the perceived effort to analyze GHFs. Furthermore, for GenZ consumers, intrinsic and non-normative motivations seem to significantly affect their willingness to buy green homes, whereas instrumental motivation does not. Our findings expand on previous studies on green consumer behavior to provide a new benchmark for understanding GenZ’s consumer behavior, specifically towards green homes. Our results can be used by marketers and policymakers to study future home trends, attract more potential buyers to green homes, and help create a sustainable environment for future generations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Psychology)
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12 pages, 623 KiB  
Article
Environmental, Health or Social Impacts? Investigating Ethical Food Consumption Behavior in the Case of Palm Oil-Free Foods
by Brigitta Plasek, Zoltán Lakner and Ágoston Temesi
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9468; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14159468 - 02 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1593
Abstract
Environmental consciousness, health consciousness, social consciousness—today, all three terms have become buzzwords that influence food consumer behavior and reach many consumers. A number of consumer trends have emerged, which manufacturers have responded to, giving consumers the opportunity to make purchasing decisions that reflect [...] Read more.
Environmental consciousness, health consciousness, social consciousness—today, all three terms have become buzzwords that influence food consumer behavior and reach many consumers. A number of consumer trends have emerged, which manufacturers have responded to, giving consumers the opportunity to make purchasing decisions that reflect any or all of these three buzzwords. In the context of palm oil, all three of these buzzwords may be associated with a consumer-perceived problem. They may be aware of the social (e.g., child labor), environmental (e.g., burning of rainforests) or potential health impacts communicated by the media. Today, more and more products claim to be palm oil free. Related to this the main question of the research is “why do consumers choose palm oil-free foods?” The results of our model using the theory of planned behavior show that the factor most influencing purchase intention is consumer attitude towards palm oil. The only significant effect on this factor is the environmental impact. Neither the perceived health-, nor the social effect had a significant effect on shaping attitudes among the respondents. A further result of the model is that perceived behavioral control only directly affects actual behavior, but does not influence intention, indicating that although there is a possibility for respondents to purchase palm oil-free products, it was not necessarily a conscious, intentional purchase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Psychology)
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16 pages, 1170 KiB  
Article
Examining Generation Z’s Attitudes, Behavior and Awareness Regarding Eco-Products: A Bayesian Approach to Confirmatory Factor Analysis
by Tatjana Mamula Nikolić, Ivan Paunović, Mirjana Milovanović, Nenad Lozović and Marija Đurović
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2727; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052727 - 25 Feb 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5394
Abstract
The research examines Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) attitudes, behavior and awareness regarding sustainability-oriented products in two European countries, located in the region of Western Balkans, Bosnia–Herzegovina and Serbia. The research deploys generational cohort theory (GCT) and a quantitative analysis of primary data collected [...] Read more.
The research examines Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) attitudes, behavior and awareness regarding sustainability-oriented products in two European countries, located in the region of Western Balkans, Bosnia–Herzegovina and Serbia. The research deploys generational cohort theory (GCT) and a quantitative analysis of primary data collected through an online questionnaire among 1338 primary, high school and university students, all belonging to Generation Z. It deploys a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) by running both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedures, the latter being suitable for binary variables, which have been deployed in the study. The results of MLCFA provide evidence that there is a statistically significant and relatively strong relation between sustainability and circular economy attitudes (SCEA) and sustainability and circular economy behavior (SCEB), while there is a statistically insignificant and relatively weak relation between sustainability and circular economy behavior (SCEB) and circular economy awareness (CEW). The results of the BCFA, which is based on MCMC procedure, are similar to the results based on a rather commonly used MLCFA procedure. The results also confirm that Gen Z knows more about the companies which recycle products than it does about the CE as a concept, while the vast majority is concerned about the future of the planet and is motivated to learn more about the CE through CE and various awareness-raising measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Psychology)
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