Human Ecology Research

The Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회)
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A Study on Ethical Consumption Behavior According to College Students' Personality Traits and Perception of Consumption Society

대학생 소비자의 개인적 특성 및 소비사회인식에 따른 윤리적 소비행동

  • Lee, Young Hee (Department of Consumer Information Science, Konkuk University)
  • 이영희 (건국대학교 소비자정보학과)
  • Received : 2016.10.02
  • Accepted : 2016.11.28
  • Published : 2017.02.28
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Abstract

In our society, consumers and enterprises work in cooperation for the continuous development and growth of society as well as construct effective and ethical measures. One of the representative examples are customercentered management activities in corporations, social responsibility activities, and sustainable ethical consumption that show consideration for the consumer's environment. The ethical consumption behavior of consumers becomes a virtuous circle that influences other consumer's ethical decision making by creating an ethical consumption culture. Furthermore, the cost and effort to solve non-ethical consumption problems can be solved. This research aims at aspiring the perception of consumer's ethical consumption and finding measures to increase ethical behavior. This paper further investigated the consumer's ethical consumption behavior, personality traits, perception of consumption society, and ethical judgements. For the research, a structured survey was conducted on 300 university students in Seoul. SPSS ver. 21.0 and AMOS ver. 18.0 programs were used for statistical data analysis. The results indicated differences in variables that influence consumer's ethical consumption behavior (fair trade, boycotts, and environmentally friendly products). In particular, it was evident that ethical judgements (such as the agent, personality traits, and perception consumption society) have different direct and non-direct influences on ethical consumption behavior. Strengthening the management of factors that influence measures that increase university student's ethical consumption behavior in direct and non-direct ways, providing education and improving information are believed effective in increasing ethical consumption behavior.

Keywords

References

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