• Human Ecology Research
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.27-44
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• 2017

In our society, consumers and enterprises work in cooperation for the continuous development and growth of society as well as construct effective and ethical measures. One of the representative examples are customercentered management activities in corporations, social responsibility activities, and sustainable ethical consumption that show consideration for the consumer's environment. The ethical consumption behavior of consumers becomes a virtuous circle that influences other consumer's ethical decision making by creating an ethical consumption culture. Furthermore, the cost and effort to solve non-ethical consumption problems can be solved. This research aims at aspiring the perception of consumer's ethical consumption and finding measures to increase ethical behavior. This paper further investigated the consumer's ethical consumption behavior, personality traits, perception of consumption society, and ethical judgements. For the research, a structured survey was conducted on 300 university students in Seoul. SPSS ver. 21.0 and AMOS ver. 18.0 programs were used for statistical data analysis. The results indicated differences in variables that influence consumer's ethical consumption behavior (fair trade, boycotts, and environmentally friendly products). In particular, it was evident that ethical judgements (such as the agent, personality traits, and perception consumption society) have different direct and non-direct influences on ethical consumption behavior. Strengthening the management of factors that influence measures that increase university student's ethical consumption behavior in direct and non-direct ways, providing education and improving information are believed effective in increasing ethical consumption behavior.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.932-941
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• 2013

This study aims to investigate the impacts on adolescents of the application of the education program for ethical consumption related to clothing in terms of their clothing-related ethical consumption consciousness, and in terms of their general ethical consumption knowledge and behaviors. Additionally, the effects of clothing-related ethical consumption consciousness and general ethical consumption knowledge on general ethical consumption behavior were examined. The program for education in ethical consumption related to clothing for adolescents was developed and applied, two surveys for the pre-post test design were conducted with high school female and male students, and a total of 158 responses were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows. 1) The results of the factor analysis and the reliability test on ethical consumption consciousness for high school students clearly showed factorial structures including Pro-environmentalism, Animal welfare, Social responsibility, and Recycling. 2) Analysis of the differences in the means of ethical consumption consciousness, knowledge, and behaviors of respondents between pre-test and post-test revealed that posttest means of all research variables after application of the education program were higher than pre-test means. 3) The ethical consumption knowledge had important medicating roles in the relationship between ethical consumption consciousness with regard to clothing and general ethical consumption behaviors. Overall, the study provides empirical evidence to support the notion that there is a need for applying an ethical consumption education program to lead adolescents to consume ethically.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.801-817
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• 2011

The purpose of this research was to explore the levels of ethical consumption of the college students and classify their types on ethical consumption behaviors. This research was conducted with university students living in Gwangju. Statistical analysis was achieved by using t-test, one-way ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range test, $X^2$, and Ward' hierarchical cluster analysis with a total of 761 questionnaires. The research results are summarized as follows: First, the overall ethical consumption average mark of college students was 3.14. Second, all surveyed college students were classified into five types based on the means scores of three dimension ethical consumption behaviors. A total 16.7% of students belonged to Type 1 (named as entire region active group) where students scored high points on three dimension ethical consumption behaviors. Type 2 (named as entire region average group) had about 41.6% of students whose scores were the average mark level in three dimension ethical consumption behaviors. Type 3 (named as future-oriented group) occupied 13.9% and this group scored low on the ethical consumption in commercial transaction but high on the ethical consumption for the future generation. Type 4 (named as commercial transaction oriented group) occupied 9.1% and this group scored low on the ethical consumption for contemporary humankind and the ethical consumption for the future generation but high on the ethical consumption in commercial transaction. Type 5 (named as entire region passive group) had 18.7% of students whose scores of three dimension ethical consumption behaviors were low.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.245-259
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyze big data to identify the sub-dimensions of ethical consumption, as well as the consumption value associated with ethical consumption that changes over time. For this study, data were collected from Naver and Daum using the keyword 'ethical consumption' and frequency and matrix data were extracted through Textom, for the period January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. In addition, a two-way mode network analysis was conducted using the UCINET 6.0 program and visualized using the NetDraw function. The results of text mining show increasing keyword frequency year-on-year, indicating that interest in ethical consumption has grown. The sub-dimensions derived for 2014 and 2015 are fair trade, ethical consumption, eco-friendly products, and cooperatives and for 2016 are fair trade, ethical consumption, eco-friendly products and animal welfare. The results of deriving consumption value keywords were classified as emotional value, social value, functional value and conditional value. The influence of functional value was found to be growing over time. Through network analysis, the relationship between the sub-dimensions of ethical consumption and consumption values derived each year from 2014 to 2018 showed a significantly strong correlation between eco-friendly product consumption and emotional value, social value, functional value and conditional value.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.251-262
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• 2016

This study analyzes the relation of the consumption values and ethical fashion consumption behavior as well as other influential factors between Korean and German ethical consumers based on the 'Modified Theory of Planned Behavior.' A survey was conducted on female consumers in their 20s and 30s, who experienced ethical fashion consumption in Seoul and Berlin. A factor analysis, reliability analysis, F -test and multiple regression analysis were performed for model verification. The research results indicated that emotional value (in case of Korea) and functional value out of consumption values (in case of Germany) have significant effects in regards to the influence of consumption values on ethical self-identity. The effects of ethical self-identity on ethical fashion consumption behavior indicated that Korean ethical self-identity influenced the ethical fashion consumption behavior of moderating and simplicity and eco-friendly certification versus local consumption as well as above factors (in case of Germany) explained by ethical self-identity. Both variables had a negative moderating effect in Korea in regards to the moderating effects of social comparison and materialism in the relations of ethical self-identity and ethical fashion consumption behavior; however, only materialism was an influential factor in Germany. The results of the research variables by individualism/collectivism indicated that the horizontal-collectivism group showed the highest ethical self-identity along with the lowest materialism tendency that had a high point of consumption behavior towards local consumption. However, the vertical-individualism group was outstanding. The consumption behavior aimed at moderating and simplicity.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1047-1062
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• 2009

Nowadays, ethical consumers are increasing and they consider social values such as worker's human rights, environment and animal's welfare as key criteria in purchasing products. This study focused on the academic and practical research of ethical consumption, in which the needs and interests are now growing globally. This study addressed the concept, trend and practices of ethical consumption as well as seeking methods to support and promote ethical consumption. It examined the concept and types of ethical consumption from the perspective of the philosophy on ethical consumption. Ethical consumption was defined as a behavior that intended to improve the environment and the welfare of people and animals by purchasing products produced according to sound ethical principles and avoiding products that are made through the exploitation or the damage of people, animals and the environment. It also dealt with the practices of ethical consumption such as the fair trade movement, Clean Clothes Campaign, boycott, local food movement, animal's welfare movement. In conclusion, I suggested that consumers, companies, governments, and NGOs should make an effort to promote ethical consumption.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.191-208
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to explore a plan for maximizing effectiveness of adolescents' ethical consumption education. The ethical consumption education experience and the ethical consumption behavior in home, school and society were examined targeting 587 middle and high school students. As a result of research, first, adolescents' ethical consumption education experiences were indicated not to be mostly high. In the sphere of ethical consumption behavior, the ethical consumption education for the future generation of centering on green consumption was being much performed. Second, the students are much facing ethical consumption through participating in event and voluntary-service activity as for school program and through participating in flea market as for social program. And the tendency was being shown that has high contact frequency in ethical consumption education through internet. Third, the adolescent consumers' ethical consumption behavior level was not high as a whole. Thus, it could be known that the ethical consumption education is needed continuously. Especially, the education of the ethical consumption for current generation is further demanded. Fourth, the factors of having influence upon adolescent consumers' ethical consumption behavior were indicated that the more ethical consumption behavior is shown in more taking home consumer education and school consumer education in case of women and in the lower school year as for school year. In this way, the importance of ethical consumption education in home, school and society is indicated. Thus, there will be a need of being developed the educational method and the educational contents that are connected with real life so that adolescents themselves can acquire through experience by being linked mutually.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.249-254
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• 2020

This study are to show the relation between ethical consumption consciousness, life meaning and happiness of life. Specifically, this study aims to examine the mediation effects of the meaning of life in the relationship of the ethical consumption consciousness and happiness, a survey was conducted by collecting 265 valid questionnaires. SPSS and AMOS statistical package were used to examine the relationships between variables. The results showed that ethical consumption consciousness had a significantly positive effect on life meaning. It was also found that life meaning had a positive effect on happiness of life. This study is significant in the sense that it identifies ethical consumerism consciousness has a positive influence on life meaning and consumer happiness. In particular, the mediating effect of the meaning of life, which is drawing attention in various research fields, was confirmed in the relationship between ethical consumption consciousness and happiness. This study can be used as effective information for further ethical consumption education and suggested implications for enhancing ethical consumption consciousness and happiness in various ways.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.167-173
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• 2018

This purpose of this study was to analyze the variables associated with the ethical consumption behavior of children consumers. This subjects were 431 elementary school students. PASW 18.0 was used for data processing to do frequency analysis, T-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results were as follows. First, children consumers tend to a little higher everyday ethical consumption behavior than others-oriented ethical consumption behavior. Second, as a result of analyzing ethical consumption behavior according to social economic variables, a high tendency of ethical consumption behavior was shown in groups that personality is extrovert and their household economic status is over upper middle class and father's age is higher. Third, the variables affecting ethical consumption behavior of children consumers were self-regulation ability, materialism, altruism, personality tendency, household economic status. Materialism had a negative effect but self-regulation ability, materialism, altruism, personality tendency, and household economic status had a positive effect.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.15-34
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to grasp the concept of ethical consumption that is inevitably one of the behaviors of consumption and to find factors affecting ethical consumption. The most special idea of this study is including motive in the research model. And motive will influence the factors affecting the intention to behave. Research design, data, and methodology: Considering variables affecting ethical consumption, we first adopted the T theory of Planned Behavior. There are three variables of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control in the model. In addition to variables used in the Planned Behavior Theory, ethical duty, self-identity, motive, neutralization, ambivalence are included in the study. Questionnaires are made for survey, and investigation was conducted from 1th March to 11th of March. Total 360 copies are used for analysis. SPSS version 23 was used for analysis. Results: Study results show that first, the variables of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, ethical duty, self-identity are turned to be statistically significant factors affecting ethical consumption intention. In this study, we defined the ethical consumption as voluntary, self-sacrifice needed, and additional efforts required behavior, therefore motive thought to be needed at fist for individual consumer to form intention. For neutralization and ambivalence, neutralization does not affect ethical consumption directly or indirectly, but we found ambivalence has moderating effect while motive affecting attitude, perceived behavior control, self-identity and has moderating effect while attitude, subjective nom, perceived behavior control, self-identity affects intention. Ambivalence means individual consumer's thought or preoccupation toward ethical consumption, in other words, consumer may have fiendly or unfriendly, positive or negative impression to it. Overall, motive and ambivalence are important factors for ethical consumption. Motive plays some role from the start influencing main factors affecting ethical consumption. Ambivalence also functions by moderating variables. Thinking of ambivalence taking account of essence of ethical consumption, some consumers may have pretext or justification for not doing ethical consumption which may again annoy themselves. Conclusions: In conclusion, for intention to ethical consumption to be formed motive should be activated beforehand and ambivalence should be considered. Negative ambivalence toward ethical consumption should be removed and positive ambivalence should be developed.