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Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”

Janine Dermody, Anita Zhao Orcid Logo, Nicole Koenig‐Lewis, Stuart Hanmer‐Lloyd

Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Volume: 20, Issue: 3, Pages: 1 - 14

Swansea University Author: Anita Zhao Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/cb.1896

Abstract

China’s industrialisation is reshaping its younger age-generation towards increased materialism and social visibility. This is problematic because materialistic social status consumption can undermine a deeper commitment to sustainability. We evaluate this phenomenon by examining sustainable consump...

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Published in: Journal of Consumer Behaviour
ISSN: 1472-0817 1479-1838
Published: Wiley 2021
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55515
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spelling 2021-07-19T19:50:59.1368615 v2 55515 2020-10-26 Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists” ea60dfdee64a02b6d5536c75f2575a00 0000-0003-2957-8300 Anita Zhao Anita Zhao true false 2020-10-26 BBU China’s industrialisation is reshaping its younger age-generation towards increased materialism and social visibility. This is problematic because materialistic social status consumption can undermine a deeper commitment to sustainability. We evaluate this phenomenon by examining sustainable consumption buying in China, through the theories of crossvergence (valuing modernisation) and stickiness (valuing traditions). Specifically, we examine the moderation effects of Chinese age-generations, in three socio-historical periods, on this sustainability behaviour. Namely, the post-50/60s consolidation, post-70s revolution, and post-80s social reform age-generations. Utilising an online panel survey (n=981), we investigated the direct and indirect effects - via pro-environmental self-identity - of materialism, social consumption motivation, and environmental concern on these generations sustainable buying behaviours. Importantly, we found the positive direct effect of materialism on sustainability buying was significantly higher for the younger post-80s cohort, in contrast to the post-50/60s and post-70s generations. Social consumption was higher among the post-80s and post-70s generations. Environmental concern was insignificant for the post-80s, but a significantly higher influence on the post-70s generation. This suggests a new younger consumer generation is emerging, who in juxtaposition to current notions of consuming sustainably, appear to mix materialism and sustainability together to consume as green materialists. We have named this consumer group ‘enviro-materialists’. These enviro-materialists raise important questions about the currently under-researched generational underpinnings of sustainable consumption, and the macro systems within which this takes place. We propose interconnected governmental and corporate marketing interventions. These have potential to increase the sustainability behaviours of China’s enviro-materialists, whilst reducing their materialism. Journal Article Journal of Consumer Behaviour 20 3 1 14 Wiley 1472-0817 1479-1838 China, industrialization, consumption, sustainability 1 6 2021 2021-06-01 10.1002/cb.1896 COLLEGE NANME Business COLLEGE CODE BBU Swansea University 2021-07-19T19:50:59.1368615 2020-10-26T14:30:52.9272979 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Business Management Janine Dermody 1 Anita Zhao 0000-0003-2957-8300 2 Nicole Koenig‐Lewis 3 Stuart Hanmer‐Lloyd 4 55515__18572__ef7e61f95a454e5385b51111fe6f3ef5.pdf JCB-20-146 Accepted Pre-prod Full Manuscript.pdf 2020-11-03T10:19:27.8475466 Output 1268684 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2022-11-10T00:00:00.0000000 true eng
title Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
spellingShingle Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
Anita Zhao
title_short Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
title_full Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
title_fullStr Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
title_sort Evaluating the challenge of China's crossverging young “Enviro‐Materialists”
author_id_str_mv ea60dfdee64a02b6d5536c75f2575a00
author_id_fullname_str_mv ea60dfdee64a02b6d5536c75f2575a00_***_Anita Zhao
author Anita Zhao
author2 Janine Dermody
Anita Zhao
Nicole Koenig‐Lewis
Stuart Hanmer‐Lloyd
format Journal article
container_title Journal of Consumer Behaviour
container_volume 20
container_issue 3
container_start_page 1
publishDate 2021
institution Swansea University
issn 1472-0817
1479-1838
doi_str_mv 10.1002/cb.1896
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Management - Business Management{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Business Management
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description China’s industrialisation is reshaping its younger age-generation towards increased materialism and social visibility. This is problematic because materialistic social status consumption can undermine a deeper commitment to sustainability. We evaluate this phenomenon by examining sustainable consumption buying in China, through the theories of crossvergence (valuing modernisation) and stickiness (valuing traditions). Specifically, we examine the moderation effects of Chinese age-generations, in three socio-historical periods, on this sustainability behaviour. Namely, the post-50/60s consolidation, post-70s revolution, and post-80s social reform age-generations. Utilising an online panel survey (n=981), we investigated the direct and indirect effects - via pro-environmental self-identity - of materialism, social consumption motivation, and environmental concern on these generations sustainable buying behaviours. Importantly, we found the positive direct effect of materialism on sustainability buying was significantly higher for the younger post-80s cohort, in contrast to the post-50/60s and post-70s generations. Social consumption was higher among the post-80s and post-70s generations. Environmental concern was insignificant for the post-80s, but a significantly higher influence on the post-70s generation. This suggests a new younger consumer generation is emerging, who in juxtaposition to current notions of consuming sustainably, appear to mix materialism and sustainability together to consume as green materialists. We have named this consumer group ‘enviro-materialists’. These enviro-materialists raise important questions about the currently under-researched generational underpinnings of sustainable consumption, and the macro systems within which this takes place. We propose interconnected governmental and corporate marketing interventions. These have potential to increase the sustainability behaviours of China’s enviro-materialists, whilst reducing their materialism.
published_date 2021-06-01T04:09:47Z
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score 11.013082

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