Happiness, altruism and the Prius effect : How do they influence consumer attitudes towards environmentally responsible clothing?
- Authors: Reimers, Vaughan , Magnuson, Bryce , Chao, Chih‐Wei (Fred)
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Vol. 21, no. 1 (2017), p. 115-132
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- Description: Purpose: Academic research and consumer polls often report strong consumer support for environmentally responsible products (ERPs), and yet the proportion of sales they account for is often comparatively small. The purpose of this paper is to address one of the purported reasons behind this “attitude-behaviour gap” by measuring the influence of six relatively untested factors on consumer attitudes towards environmentally responsible clothing (ERC). Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a consumer household sample. It also used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it. Findings: Of the six factors, four were found to have a significant influence on consumer attitudes: altruism, status enhancement, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and happiness. Originality/value: Altruism, environmental concern, PCE and self-identity have consistently featured in other environmental contexts, but less so in the specific context of ERC. Happiness and status enhancement have yet to appear in any study relating to the purchase of ERPs.
The academic conceptualisation of ethical clothing : Could it account for the attitude behaviour gap?
- Authors: Reimers, Vaughan , Magnuson, Bryce , Chao, Chih‐Wei (Fred)
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Vol. 20, no. 4 (2016), p. 383-399
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- Description: Purpose: Despite supposed widespread consumer support for ethical clothing, it still often fails to translate into actual purchase. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the way in which academics have defined and measured ethical clothing could account for this. Design/methodology/approach: An over reliance on convenience sampling and the use of student samples has also been touted as a possible reason for this attitude-behaviour gap. To address this, this study employed a consumer household sample. It also used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it. Findings: In contrast to the way in which academics have conceptualised the construct, consumer perceptions of ethical clothing were found to be influenced by four dimensions: environmental responsibility, employee welfare, animal welfare and slow fashion attributes. Originality/value: Ethical clothing has typically been operationalised using just two of these four dimensions. Ironically, one of the two dimensions often overlooked by academics – animal welfare – had the strongest influence on consumer perceptions. Previous academic efforts had never employed more than three dimensions, and yet the results of this study suggest that all four must be present if an item of clothing is to be regarded as “ethical”. © 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.