Sustainable Development as a Factor Differentiating Consumer Behavior: The Case of Poland

Abstract

The study employed the online survey technique. In order to determine the types of consumers, 18 diagnostic variables characterizing consumer behavior in the context of sustainable development, including sustainable consumption, were used. The type extraction was carried out in two steps. The first was a cluster analysis conducted with the hierarchical Ward method with the square of the Euclidean distance, and the second was a non-hierarchical cluster analysis adopting the k-means method. Findings: As a result of the conducted analyses, four relatively homogeneous types of consumers were distinguished based on their behaviors that fit into the concept of sustainable development, including consumption. The types are: Apologists, Hedonists, Active when necessary, Moderately involved. Practical Implications: The types of consumers identified and described in the paper may constitute the basis for market segmentation for firms offering consumer goods and services. In addition, the presented results of research conducted in Poland may constitute the basis for carrying out similar research in other European countries. Originality/value: In the case of Poland, there is a lack of knowledge about the types of consumers as regards their behavior in the context of sustainable development, including sustainable consumption, it can therefore be assumed that the research results contribute to the theory of consumer behavior.

Understanding Motivations for Individual and Collective Sustainable Food Consumption: A Case Study of the Galician Conscious and Responsible Consumption Network

“…Concerns about the health risk from food consumption is central in the reasoning of the consumers, while hedonistic goals were only reported occasionally. This contrasts with other works that found that the experience of enjoying a better tasting product is an attractive feature for organic products buyers [45] or Slow Food activists [37].…”

“…The participants in this study do experience a strong sense of responsibility towards the environment, which has a positive and direct impact on their actual purchase behavior. They perceive themselves as part of the solution, feeling responsible for acting and fostering a change toward more global sustainability, as found in previous studies [36,45,46]. Such individual responsibility connects, then, with sociopolitical aspirations that are manifested through the aim of challenging dominant power structures and building alternative fair, sustainable, and democratic practices in the economy, e.g., by supporting local farms or strengthening short food supply chains [9,35,47].…”

“…Concurrently, they usually support individuals and institutions taking actions towards environmental protection [45], and they often declare behaviors supporting sustainability, such as saving resources, recycling, or low carbon transportation, albeit with different levels of commitment.…”

“…Despite gathering a representative sample of the population involved in the case study was not the intention of this study, it would be useful to adopt, in future research, a purposive sample strategy that involves a range of sociodemographic characteristics (including gender and age), along with a balanced sample of participants representing distinct levels of engagement in conscious consumption. This would allow researchers to obtain a more complete picture of the different typologies of sustainable consumers, which would be the basis for targeted policy interventions or social marketing strategies [35,45].…”

Consumers Towards the Goals of Sustainable Development: Attitudes and Typology

“…(1) cognitive barriers, (2) the self, (3) social influence, and (4) product characteristics. On the other hand, the impact of the idea of sustainable development on the differentiation of consumer behavior was studied by the team of Maciejewski [20,21]. The conducted research allowed, among all, to determine that the most common sustainable behaviors undertaken by consumers include avoiding overconsumption [22,23], showing concerns about healthy eating, as well as segregating and recycling waste.…”