The conscious consumer: taking a flexible approach to ethical behaviour

TLDR

Ethical consumption is complex, with conscious consumers balancing competing priorities, paradoxical outcomes, and compromises influenced by social and economic forces such as family, convenience, and price. The study aims to conceptualize conscious consumers using flexibility and dissonance theory. A qualitative study of identified conscious consumers was conducted. Participants displayed contradictory ethical purchasing behaviours, and the study discusses how flexibility and dissonance theory explain these patterns.

Abstract

Abstract This paper considers the ethical purchasing of what is described as conscious consumers. Conscious consumers remain a ‘work in progress’, and present a complex mix of behaviours; while seeking ethical alternatives, other social and economic forces impact on their behaviour (e.g. family, convenience, price) such that positive ethical choices are not always made. Examining ethical consumption in this way reveals the ‘competing priorities, paradoxical outcomes, and the nature of compromises reached in real decision processes’. We identify two areas of theory relevant to the conceptualization of such consumers, flexibility and dissonance theory. A qualitative study of participants identified as conscious consumers was undertaken. As anticipated, the participants revealed a range of often contradictory behaviours regarding their ethical purchases. The relevance of flexibility and dissonance theory to their behaviour is discussed.