Analysing some aspects of socially responsible consumption among university students

Abstract

AIM OF THE PAPER

The purpose of our study is to analyse the attributes of responsible consumption and some aspects of its realisation and barriers in case of university students. Beside introducing the main characteristics of socially responsible consumptions we also discuss environmentally aware consumption which is in close connection with the prior concept and we also analyse consumers’ decision making process from the aspect of responsibility. We also discuss how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can foster responsible consumption patterns.

METHODOLOGY

The study consists of two main parts. The first section is based on the review of relevant Hungarian as well as international literature. The second part introduces the results of an empiric, questionnaire survey, focusing on the realisation and barriers of responsible consumption. Our survey focuses on a special group of consumers, namely university students. Various statistical methods (descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, rank correlation analysis) have been applied.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

Based on the literature review we conclude that the motivation of responsible consumption by companies can be considered as a new level of responsibility in the „pyramid of social responsibility” developed by Carroll. The empiric part of our research - that was focusing on a special group of the so-called Y generation - revealed that responsible consumption is not primarily dependent on income levels. Our target group generally think that he or she is environmentally conscious, but they prefer responsible consumption patterns that can be realised easily.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It would be worthwhile to extend the survey to the whole Hungarian population. Special incentives could be applied in case of various consumer groups both from the companies and the governance in order to enable responsible consumption. The findings of the literature review, the empiric survey presented and its future extension can contribute to the strengthening of the synergy between corporate social responsibility and responsible consumption.