An Exploratory Study on the Ethical Attitudes of Consumers in Consumption Situations;based on the Consumer Ethics Scale

소비 상황에서 소비자의 윤리적인 태도에 관한 탐색적 연구

  • Jung, Hyo-Sun (Dept. Culinary Science and Arts, KyungHee University) ;
  • Yoon, Hye-Hyun (Dept. Culinary Science and Arts, KyungHee University)
  • 정효선 (경희대학교 조리과학과) ;
  • 윤혜현 (경희대학교 조리과학과)
  • Published : 2008.02.29

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the ethical attitudes of consumers in consumption situations by using the consumer ethics scale(CES). Self-administrated questionnaires were completed by 492 consumers, and the resulting data were analysed by frequency, chi-square, one-way ANOVA, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and cluster analysis. We found four different groups of consumers were identified according to their ethical attitudes in consumption situations: 1) the unethical onlooker consumer group, 2) the socialized unethical consumer group, 3) the ethical consumer group, and 4) the severely unethical consumer group. The unethical onlooker consumer group was most widespread prevalent among university students who were in their 20s and down or under, and who received spending money from their parents, and the socialized unethical consumer group was most prevailing prevalent among the higher educated consumers. The women who consumers slightly outnumbered men in an the ethical consumer group, slightly outnumbered the men who did, and many of the university-educated large income earners fell into this group consumed in that way as well. The severely unethical consumer group was quite uncommon among those who were at the age of 41 and up over, and not many of the higher educated people and larger income earners consumed in an the severely unethical consumer group, either. Thus, it's proven this study proves that in terms of the propensity to consume, the consumers' were different from one another in ethical attitudes and behaviors differ according to their demographic characteristics.

Keywords

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