Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

A Study of the Relationship between Social Value Orientations and Sustainable Consumption among Urmia Citizens

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

H. Honarvar 1
T. Aghayari Hir 2
M. Alizadeh Aghdam 3

1 Assistant Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Demography, Faculty of Law & Social Silences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz,

3 Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Law & Social Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2018.288
Abstract
Among various influencing factors on sustainable consumption, are basic social value orientations, as the cornerstone for any human behavior, including consumer behavior. The present survey study aimed at investigating the relationships between basic social value orientations, including; materialism, individualism, and collectivism (besides their sub-scales), with sustainable consumption. The study population includes all 15-64 years old citizens of Urmia City, from whom 516 are selected to be studied by the use of cluster sampling technique. Findings show that centrality dimension of materialism has shown negative and significant, and both horizontal individualism and horizontal collectivism have shown positive and significant correlations with sustainable consumption. Multiple regression results indicate that these three variables accounted for 19 percent of the variation in sustainable consumption.

Keywords

sustainable consumption
Materialism
individualism
collectivism

Subjects

Abd’Razack, T, A., Ahmad Nazri Bin Muhammad Ludin, N., & Umaru, E, T. (2013). Ecological footprint, lifestyle and consumption pattern in Nigeria. American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci, 13(4), 425-432. doi: 10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2013.13.04.1943
Alizadeh Aghdam, M.B., Bani Fatemeh, H., Abbaszadeh, M., & Soltani, S. (2017). Naqš-e sarmāye-y farhang-i dar tahaqoq-e šahrvandi-ye bumšenāxti [The role of cultural capital in the developing of ecological citizenship]. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 9(2), 107-133. doi: 10.22631/ISIH.2017.1754.2342
Azamzadeh, A., & Tavakkoli, A. (2007). Fardgarāyi, jam’garāyi va dindāri [Individualism, collectivism and religiosity]. Journal of Anjoman-e Irāni-ye Motāle'āt-e Farhangi va Ertebātāt/Iranian Association of Cultural Studies and Communications, 9, 101-126.
Balderjahn, I., Buerke, A., Kirchgeorg M., Peyer, M., Seegebarth, B.,  &Wiedmann, K. (2013). Consciousness for sustainable consumption: scale development and new insights in the economic dimension of consumers’ sustainability. AMS Review, 3(4), 181-192. doi: 10.1007/s13162-013-0057-6
Balderjahn, I., Peyer, M., & Paulssen, M. (2013). Consciousness for fair consumption: conceptualization, scale development and empirical validation. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 37(5), 546-555. doi: 10.1111/ijcs.12030
Birou, A. (1996). Farhang-e olum-e ejtemā’i [Vocabulaire pratique des sciences sociales]. (B. Sarukhani, Trans.). Tehran. Iran: Keyhān.
Black, I. (2010). Sustainability through anti-consumption. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 9(6), 403–411. doi: 10.1002/cb.340
Dunlap, R, E. (1984). Commitment to the dominant social paradigm and concern for environmental quality. Social Science Quarterly, 65(4), 1013-1028.
Farahmand, M., Shokuhifar, K., & Sayyar Khalaj, H. (2013). Barresi-ye avāmel-e ejtemā'i-ye mo’asser bar raftārhā-ye zist-mohiti dar šahr-e Yazd [A study of social factors affecting environmental behavior of residents of Yazd province]. Journal of Motāle'āt-e Šahri/Urban Studies, 10, 109-141.
Gelfand, M. J., & Triandis, H. C. (1996). Individualism versus collectivism or versus authoritarianism?. European Journal of Social Psychology, 26, 397-410. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0992(199605)26:3%3C397::AID-EJSP763%3E3.0.CO;2-J
Gilg, A., Barr, S., & Ford, N. (2005). Green consumption or sustainable lifestyles? Identifying the sustainable consumer. Futures, 37(6), 481-504.  doi: 10.1016/j.futures.2004.10.016
Goldsmith, E.B. (2015). Social influence and sustainable consumption. Springer International Publishing Switzerland.  doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-20738-4
Habibi, K., Rahimi, A., & Abdi, M. (2012). Arzyābi-ye jāpā-ye bumšenāsi-ye vasāyel-e haml-o-naql-e šahri [Ecological footprint assessment of urban transportation; new approach for sustainability of urban transportation planning]. Journal of Āmāyeš-e Joqrāfiyāyi-ye Fazā/ Geoghraphical Planning of Space, 5, 99-116.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: software of the mind (3rd ed.) USA, McGraw-Hill.
Holbrook, M. B., & Hirschman, E. C. (1982). The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer fantasies, feelings and fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9, 132–140. doi: 10.1086/208906
Hui, C. (1988). Measurement of individualism-collectivism. Journal of Research in Personality, 22(1), 17-36. doi: 10.1016/0092-6566(88)90022-0
Hurst, M., Dittmar, H., Bond, R.,  & Kasser, T. (2013). The relationship between materialistic values and environmental attitudes and behaviors: a meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36257-269. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.09.003
Jomehpour, M. (1392). Barnāmerizi-ye mohiti va pāydāri-ye šahri va mantaghei [Environmental planning for urban and regional sustainability]. Tehran, Iran: Samt.
Kilbourne W. E., & Carlson, L. (2008). The Dominant Social Paradigm, Consumption, and Environmental Attitudes: Can Macromarketing Education Help?. Journal of Macromarketing, 28(2), 106-121. doi: 10.1177/0276146708314586
Kostelijk, E. (2017). The influence of values on consumer behaviour: the value compass, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, Routledge Press.
Lages, L., & Fernandes, J. (2005). The SERPVAL scale: A multi-item instrument for measuring service personal values. Journal of Business Research, 58(11), 1562–1572.  doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2004.10.001
Maleki, A., & Abdollâhi, A. (2013). Tabyin-e jāme’ešenāxti-ye Mohitgarāyi-e Irāniyan dar dow sathe xord va kalān [Sociological explanation of Iranian's environmentalismin micro and macro level]. Journal of Motāle'āt va Tahgigāt-e Ejtemā’i dar Irān/Iranian Social Studies and Researchs, 2(2), 177-202.
McCarty, A. J., & Shrum, L. J. (2001). The Influence of Individualism, Collectivism, and Locus of Control on Environmental Beliefs and Behavior. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 20(1), 93-104. Doi: 10.1509/jppm.20.1.93.17291
Na Cho, y., Thyroff, A., Rapert, M. I., Park, S.Y., & Lee, H. J. (2013). To be or not to be green: Exploring individualism and collectivism as antecedents of environmental behavior. Journal of Business Research, 66, 1052–1059. Doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.08.020
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2008). Promoting Sustainable Consumption: Good Practices in OECD Countries. Paris: OECD publications.
Oyserman, D., Coon, H. M., & Kemmelmeier, M. (2002). Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 128(1), 3-72. Doi: 10.1037//0033-2909.128.1.3
Ree, E., Uleman, J. S., & Lee, H. K. (1996). Variations in Collectivism and Individualism by Ingroup and Culture: Confirmatory Factor Analyses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(5), 1037-1054. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.71.5.1037
Richins, M. L. (2004). The material values scale: measurement properties and development of a short form.  Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 209-219. Doi: 10.1086/383436
Richins, M. L., McKeage, K. K. R., & Najjar, D. (1992). An Exploration of Materialism and Consumption-Related Affect. Advances in Consumer Research, 19, 229-236.
Sachs, J. D. (2015). The age of sustainable development. New York: Columbia University Press.
Salonen, A. (2013). Responsible Consumption. In: Idowu, S., Capaldi, N., Zu, L., Das Gupta, A. (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility. Berlin: Springer, 2048-2055.
Schultz, P. W., Gouveia, V. V., Cameron, L. D., Tankha, G., Schmuck, P., & Franek, M. (2005). Values and their relationship to environmental concern and conservation behavior. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36, 457-475. doi: 10.1177/0022022105275962
Sharma, R., & Jha, M. (2017). Values influencing sustainable consumption behaviour: Exploring the contextual relationship. Journal of  Business Research, 76 , 77–88. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.03.010
Shaw, D., & Moraes, C. (2009). Voluntary simplicity: An exploration of market interactions. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33(2), 215–223. doi: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00760.x
Shener, A., &  Hazer, O. (2008). Values and sustainable consumption behavior of women: a Turkish sample. Sustainable Development, (16), 291-300. doi: 10.1002/sd.329
Shulruf, B.,  Hattie, J.,  & Dixon, R. (2007). Development of a New Measurement Tool for Individualism and Collectivism. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 25(4), 385-401. doi: 10.1177/0734282906298992
Stern, P. C., & Dietz, T. (1994). The value basis of environmental concern. Journal of Social Issues, 50, 65-84. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1994.tb02420.x
Swan, J. A. (1971). Environmental education: one approach to resolving the environmental crisis. Environment and Behavior, 3(3): 223-229. doi: 10.1177/001391657100300301
Triandis, H., & Gelfand, M. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(1), 118-128. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.74.1.118
Triandis, H.C. (2001). Individualism-Collectivism and Pesonality. Journal of Personality, 69(6), 908-924. doi: 10.1111/1467-6494.696169
United Nations Environment Programme )UNEP( (2005). A guidance manual: advancing sustainable consumption in indonesia. Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics. United Nations Environment Programme.
Wackernagel, M. & Yount, J.D. (1998). The ecological footprint: an indicator of progress toward regional sustainability. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 51, 511–529.
Wackernagel, M. (1994). Ecological footprint and appropriated carrying capacity: A tool for planning toward sustainability. (Doctoral dissertation). Vancouver, Canada: The University of British Columbia). Retrieved from https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0088048
Wang, C. L., & Lin, X. (2009). Migration of Chinese consumption values: Traditions, modernization and cultural renaissance. Journal of Business Ethics, 88, 399–409. doi: 10.1007/s10551-009
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Zinn, J. (2007). Individualism. In, G. Ritzer (Ed.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. (pp. 2285-6). USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Zukin, S., & Maguire, J. S. (2004). Consumers and consumption. Annual Review of Sociology, 173–197.  doi: 10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110553
Send comment about this article
Enter Name.
Enter a valid email address.
Enter a vaid affiliation.
Enter comments (At leaset 10 words)
CAPTCHA Image
Enter Security Code Correctly.

  • Receive Date 27 November 2017
  • Revise Date 22 September 2018
  • Accept Date 02 August 2018

Home

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Reviewers

Submission

Contact Us