An empirical examination of the effects of demographic groups on socially responsible consumption behaviour

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of demographic groups (i.e. gender groups, marital status groups, age groups, income groups, experience groups, education groups and occupation groups) on socially responsible consumption (hereafter SRC) behaviour. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out in Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu state of India. A total of 214 responses were collected during the survey. The respondents were the university staff composed of lecturer/professor, lab instructor, admin staff and support staff. A socially responsible purchase and disposal scale has been used to measure SRC behaviour amongst consumers. The convenience sampling technique was used for data collection. Independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques were used for hypotheses testing. Findings Factor analyses confirmed the multidimensional structure of the SRC construct with the following axes: firms’ internal corporate social responsibility (hereafter CSR) performance, firms’ external CSR performance, firms’ environmental CSR performance and consumers’ personal social responsibility. In addition, this study found that demographic groups have no effects on SRC behaviour. Research limitations/implications The current research will be a step forward to a richer and more inclusive understanding of the effects of demographic groups on SRC behaviour. Practical implications This study would help managers to understand consumer markets, formulate strategy and develop sustainable products. Originality/value This study is amongst the few attempted to examine the effects of demographic groups on SRC behaviour amongst consumers. This research endeavoured to validate the multidimensional nature of the SRC construct.