Environmental Sensitivity in a Developing Country

Abstract

Past research on consumers’ attitudes toward the environment has been conducted mostly in the context of developed countries. There is a need to investigate this topic in less affluent societies. This article investigates the relationship between Turkish consumers’ attitudes and their behaviors toward the environment. A multistage area sampling procedure was used to select 1,000 residences in Istanbul at which at-home personal interviews were conducted using standard surveys. A consumer cluster analysis based on behaviors toward the environment was conducted, and three distinct segments were identified: active concerned, passive concerned, and unconcerned. For each cluster, attitudinal, demographic, socioeconomic, and leisure activity profiles were delineated. Attitudes toward specific behaviors were found to be the best predictors of behavior, followed by general attitudes, education, and locus of control. Policy implications are provided for each cluster.