THE EFFECT OF FAMILY and INDIVIDUAL VALUES ON ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AWARENESS

 

Neslihan Sayraç¹, Ela Arı²*, Gökhan Malkoç³

¹MA, İstanbul University, Turkey neslihan.sayrac@ogr.iu.edu.tr

²Dr., İstanbul Ticaret University, TURKEY, eari@ticaret.edu.tr

³Prof. Dr., İstanbul Ticaret University, TURKEY, eari@ticaret.edu.tr

*Corresponding author

 

 

Abstract

In recent years, irresponsible consumption of natural resources and increasing rates of individual consumption has led to rapid industrialization and growing environmental pollution. For this reason, the adoption of environmentally responsible consumer behaviour has become a necessity. Parents have an important role in bringing the next generation consumption attitudes since family is the first place where social environment for modelling is formed. Previous literature emphasizes the effect of the mother’s consumption attitudes and behaviors on the child’s (Moore and Moschis, 1981). The main objective of this research is to investigate the effect of parents on the individual’s environmentally responsible consumption awareness.
Values ​​are representative of the general goals and objectives developed at different times and situations (Schwartz, 1992). Individual’s values have an effect on behaviors, especially on consumption behaviors. Therefore, this paper also examines the influence of individual’s values on environmentally responsible consumption awareness. In addition, the impact of demographic characteristics such as gender, age, family income level on the individual’s environmentally responsible consumption awareness are likewise explored.

The sample of the study consisted of 293 university students aged between 18 and 28. Schwartz Values List and Environmentally Conscious Consumption and Awareness Scale have been used to collect data. In addition to this, participants have also reported their perceptions about their parents’ Environmentally Conscious Consumption and Awareness. The results indicated that the mother’s environmentally responsible consumption awareness predicted positively individual’s environmentally responsible consumer awareness. Also, benevolence values were found to have a mediating role between individuals and mother’s environmentally responsible consumer awareness. Finally, universalism values also have a mediating role between individuals and mother’s environmentally responsible consumer awareness. This study contributes to the relevant literature by investigating the role of the individual values on environmentally consumption behavior within family scope.

Keywords: Socially responsible consumption behaviour, family, values