최근 우리나라에서도 윤리적 소비에 대한 사회적 관심이 고조되고 소비자들의 윤리적 소비행동이 증가하면서 윤리적 소비행동에 대한 실증연구가 필요하게 되었다. 본 연구의 목적은 소비자들의 윤리적 소비행동 수준을 파악하고 인구사회학적 특성에 따른 윤리적 소비행동의 차이를 분석하며, 윤리적 소비행동에 영향을 미치는 변수를 규명하는 것이다. 이를 위해 2011년 11월 온라인 리서치 업체를 통해 전국에 거주하는 성인 소비자 1,000명을 대상으로 질문지조사를 실시하여 자료를 수집하였다. 주요한 연구결과는 다음과 같다.
첫째, 요인분석 결과 소비자의 윤리적 소비행동의 하위영역은 7가지-공동체운동, 절제와 간소, 공정무역, 불매운동, 적극적 구매, 상거래 윤리, 로컬소비-로 분류되었다. 7점을 기준으로 했을 때, 소비자들의 윤리적 소비행동 전체 평균은 4.44점으로 중간수준으로 실천하는 것으로 나타났다. 하위영역 중에서 상거래 윤리(5.24점)와 절제와 간소(5.05점)는 비교적 잘 실천하고 있지만 공동체운동(3.10점)은 중간이하 수준으로 행동하고 있었다.
둘째, 인구사회학적 변수에 따른 윤리적 소비행동의 차이를 분석한 결과 전체 윤리적 소비행동의 경우 미혼보다는 기혼집단이, 연령이 20대에 비해 50대 이상이, 교육수준이 고졸에 비해 대졸이상인 집단이 윤리적 소비행동을 잘 실천하고 있었다. 윤리적 소비행동의 하위영역의 경우 인구사회학적 변수에 따른 차이는 각각 상이하였다.
셋째, 소비자가치, 심리사회적 특성변수, 인구사회학적 변수가 전체 윤리적 소비행동에 미치는 영향력을 분석한 결과, 물질주의 성향이 낮을수록, 이타주의 성향이 높을수록, 자신의 행동이 사회에 영향을 준다고 생각할수록(효과성 지각), 윤리적 이슈가 자신의 정체성에 중요하다고 생각할수록(윤리적 정체성), 교육수준이 고졸집단에 비해 전문대졸 집단이 윤리적 소비행동을 잘 실천하는 것으로 분석되었다. 7개의 하위영역에 대해 유의한 영향을 미치는 설명변수는 상이하였지만 전반적으로 심리사회적 특성변수가 소비자 가치와 인구사회학적 변수보다 상대적으로 소비자의 윤리적 소비행동에 중요한 영향을 미치고 있었으며, 특별히 효과성 지각과 이타주의가 중요한 변수로 나타났다.
Recently, there are enhanced social interest in ethical consumption and increase in consumers' ethical consumption behavior, both in Korea and in the world. Consumption is one of activities belonging to post-purchase process which is the last stage in 5-stage consumer buying decision- making consisting of problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase, and post-purchase process. Ethical consumption is used broadly to include selection, purchase, and disposition as well as consumption of products or brands. Ethical consumption behavior is defined as selection, purchase, consumption, and disposition activities to perform his or her social responsibility according to a consumer's personal and moral beliefs. In spite of increased interest and activities in ethical consumption, there have been very limited studies on ethical consumption. Because many studies to find and explain characteristics of ethical consumers have been basically qualitative studies, there is strong need for empirical studies dealing with ethical consumption behavior.
The purpose of this study is 1) to examine consumers' levels of ethical consumption behavior and subcategories of total ethical consumption behavior, 2) to analyze the differences in ethical consumption behavior, based on socio-demographic variables, and 3) to find variables affecting ethical consumption behavior, among ethical value variables, psychosocial variables, and socio- demographic variables. Independent variables include an ethical value category, a psychosocial category, and a socio-demographic category. The ethical value category consists of universalism, benevolence, and self-direction. The psychosocial category includes materialism, altruism, perceived effectiveness, and self-identity. The socio-demographic category includes age, gender, marital status, education level, occupation, and so on. For the study, data collection was conducted by an outside research company and data were collected through internet survey questionnaires filled out by the sample of 1,000 adult consumers.
The important results of this study are as follows. First, factor analysis extracted seven subcategories of ethical consumption behavior from items measuring ethical consumption behavior. The seven subcategories of ethical consumption behavior are community activity, moderation & simplicity, fair trade, boycott activity, positive buying, ethics in business transaction, and local consumption. The mean score of consumers' total ethical consumption behavior was 4.44 on a 7-point scale, which meant that respondents performed ethical consumption behavior at a little over the middle level. In comparison among subcategories, respondents gave the highest score(5.24) to ethics in business transaction and the second highest score(5.05) to moderation & simplicity. Respondents gave the lowest score(3.10) to community activity.
Second, in terms of the socio-demographic category, there were significant effects of marital status, age, and education level on total ethical consumption behavior. Specifically, married people, people in 50s compared to those in 20s at age groups, and people who at least graduated from a college in comparison with people who only graduated from a high school showed higher levels of total ethical consumption behavior. In the subcategories of total ethical consumption behavior, the effects of socio-demographic variables were different. For example, while there were significant effects of marital status, age, education level, and occupation on community activity, there was significant effect of only age on fair trade.
Third, in terms of an ethical value category, a psychosocial category, and a socio-demographic category, the results of regression analysis showed that all of the psychosocial variables (materialism, altruism, perceived effectiveness, and self-identity) and an education level significantly influenced total ethical consumption behavior. Especially, altruism, perceived effectiveness, self-identity, and people who graduated from a 2-year college in comparison with people who only graduated from a high school had positive effect on total ethical consumption behavior, but materialism had negative effect on total ethical consumption behavior.
Fourth, in terms of the 7 subcategories of total ethical consumption behavior, significant variables were different. The psychosocial variables were generally more important than ethical value variables and socio-demographic variables. Ethical value variables had significant effects only on community activity, moderation & simplicity, and ethics in business transaction. The effects of a socio-demographic category were relatively small. Household mean income had significant effects on boycott activity, positive buying, ethics in business transaction, and local consumption. An education level had significant effects on moderation & simplicity, local consumption, and total ethical consumption behavior.
Finally, investigation based on standardized regression coefficients indicated that the psychosocial variables were more important for ethical consumption behavior than ethical value variables and socio-demographic variables and that perceived effectiveness and altruism were the most important two variables.
This study has significance in that this study was an empirical study on ethical consumption behavior using internet survey with 1,000 respondents residing in all area of South Korea. The seven subcategories of total ethical consumption behavior constructed from major previous studies and then extracted by factor analysis will be especially useful as an instrument to measure ethical consumption behavior in future related studies.
The results of this study suggest many important things related to ethical consumption behavior to policy makers and practitioners dealing with consumer affairs and marketers. This study found and verified three major categories affecting ethical consumption behavior, 1) an ethical value category, 2) a psychosocial category, and 3) a socio-demographic category. Though the effects were different depending on total and each of the seven subcategories of ethical consumption behavior, generally ethical value variables and psychosocial variables were more important for ethical consumption behavior than socio-demographic variables, and psychosocial variables in general had highest effects on ethical consumption behavior especially in terms of contribution to ethical consumption behavior. This suggests that consumer education can be useful in the area of less materialism (humanism), altruism, perceived effectiveness, and self-identity to spread and enhance ethical consumption behavior and that to sell ethical products and brands, marketers should more focus on market segments appreciating less materialism, altruism, perceived effectiveness, and self-identity.
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