Demographic implications on Sustainable Consumption: An Indian case study.

Abstract

Sustainable consumption refers to a mind-set where the consumers adopt environmentally and socially responsible consumption behaviour with the focus on meeting one has needs and simultaneously reducing its impact on society and the environment at large. Literature review suggests that sustainable consumption is a very flexible concept that incorporates various factors and these factors can differ among consumers. As a result, this paper aims to study if consumers with different demographics in India differ in sustainable consumption behaviour. Specifically, consumers of different genders, age groups, and income groups differ in their consumption behaviour due to factors such as Quality of Life, Environmental Concerns, and Care for Future Generations. Quantitative research was undertaken for this study and data was collected through a structured questionnaire from 281 samples selected via a non-probability sampling method. The data was analysed using ANNOVA (normally distributed data) and Mann Whitney U Test/Wallis H test (not normally distributed data). Findings indicate that men and women significantly differ in their consumer behaviour on factors of quality of life, care for the environment, and care for future generations. Quality of life also significantly affects sustainable consumption behaviour among the various income groups and age groups. These findings therefore can in the future support marketers in adopting various sustainable practices according to the importance attached to their target audience.