Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
A demographically and geographically representative sample of 1,243 adult residents of the United States provided input regarding 33 issues germane to both green marketing and green consumption. This diverse array of behaviors and opinions addressed both sides of the buyer-seller dyad. From the buyers’ perspective, respondents reported a high propensity to engage in recycling, donate used goods, and purchase products with a longer life expectancy. As for organizational actions, the respondents favored environmentally-friendly actions such as focusing on cleaner and more efficient energy alternatives. There was a strong belief that individuals can make a difference. Comparisons on the bases of gender and generational cohort membership documented significant differences for a number of the 33 issues under scrutiny. Gender produced statistically significant differences between men and women for two of the 11 personal green consumption behaviors. Women were more inclined to purchase second hand items, and from a similar perspective, they were more prone to donate items with a remaining useful life rather than simply discard them in the trash. Regarding the subset of 22 issues related to their attitudes regarding the green issues germane to consumers and marketers, significant differences between the two sexes were in evidence for 15 of the 22 issues. An investigation focusing on generational membership documented 13 issues where there was a significant difference across the five groups. A proposed typology allowed respondents to place themselves in the category that they deemed to best fit themselves. Fully 65.1 percent of the respondents placed themselves in the centrist category – eco-aware. Only 2.0 percent deemed themselves to be eco-destroyers while 9.2 percent, a metric that environmentalists might find somewhat disappointing, placed themselves at the other end of the spectrum – as eco-warriors.
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Fullerton, Sam; McCullough, Tammy; and Moore, David L., "Consumer Actions and Attitudes Regarding Initiatives Directed towards Sustainability: Assessing Gender and Generational Gaps" (2019). Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2019. 6.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/amtp-proceedings_2019/6
About the Authors
About the Authors
Sam Fullerton received his PhD in Marketing from Michigan State University. He is a Professor of Marketing at Eastern Michigan University. He has also served as a visiting professor/scholar at the University of Michigan, the University of Waikato (NZ), Queensland University of Technology (Australia), the University of Southern Queensland (Australia), and the North West University (South Africa) where has the title of Extraordinary Professor. His research primarily focuses on ethics, sports marketing, and technomarketing. In recent years, his research has appeared in Sport Marketing Quarterly, the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Applied Marketing Theory, the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, the Australasian Marketing Journal, and Health Marketing Quarterly. He has received ten best paper awards at conferences including AMTP and SMA. He has also authored books on Sports Marketing, Contemporary Selling, and Marketing Research.
Tammy McCullough is a professor of Marketing at Eastern Michigan University. Her doctorate in Marketing was granted by the University of Washington. Her research has appeared in numerous journals including the Journal of Applied Marketing Theory, Health Marketing Quarterly and Research Technology Management. She has also presented papers at numerous conferences including AMTP, the ABA, and ACR. She is an avid sports participant who cycles, plays organized ice hockey, has twice run in the Boston Marathon, and has completed several Ironman Triathlons.
David L. Moore is a professor of Marketing at Florida A&M University. His doctorate in Marketing was granted by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has been a visiting professor in China, Poland, and France. His research has appeared in numerous journals including Psychology in Marketing, Journal of Healthcare Marketing, Business Journal for Entrepreneurs, South African Journal of Economic and Management Science and Database Management & Customer Strategy Management. He has also presented papers at numerous conferences including ABA, AMTP, Atlantic Marketing Association, Joint ESSEC/HEC/INSEAD Marketing Seminar and the Annual Sports Marketing Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ) Conference. He also edited the Proceedings of the AMTP for four years. He is an avid reader, traveler, Beatles fan and enjoys photography.