Understanding the Effects of Social Norms and Knowledge on Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior (SRCB)

Growing consumer awareness about the environmental and social impact of consumption has led to an increase in demand for more socially responsible product alternatives. This dissertation examined diverse aspects of consumer behaviors associated with socially responsible products to contribute to a better understanding of socially responsible consumer behavior (SRCB). It consisted of three main studies and a major focus was placed on examining whether, and to what extent, social norms and product knowledge affect purchase of socially responsible products. Study 1 conducted a meta-analysis of previous consumer studies involving a wide range of product types and ethical issues. Study 2 examined the influence of different types of social norms and product knowledge on consumers' purchase of organic cotton and fair-trade apparel. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and ANOVA were used to test the cause-effect relationships among constructs and to compare the results between the two product groups. Study 3 examined the efficacy of using social media to increase product knowledge and promote SRCB, particularly focusing on the role of information format and information characteristics. Similar to Study 2, SEM and ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses of Study 3.;All three studies from this dissertation shared a topic of identifying significant factors that influence purchase decisions of socially responsible products. Each study is designed to build upon and complement the findings from other studies. To begin with, Study 1 reviewed applications of theory of planned behavior (TPB) in previous SRCB literature and verified the theory's efficacy to explain purchase behaviors in this study domain. An interesting finding from Study 1 was that consumers' purchase intention had an especially strong relationship with subjective norms which was in contrast to previous studies that suggested a weak association between subjective norms and behavioral intention. This result indicated that the influence of significant others in one's social environment is critical in the SRCB context.;Study 2 enhanced our knowledge about the influence of social norms on SRCB by distinguishing the concept into two distinct types: injunctive and descriptive norms. Injunctive norms were more effective in encouraging positive attitudes while descriptive norms had a stronger effect on increasing purchase intentions. The two types of social norms had independent effects on purchase behavior of socially responsible apparel products. Additionally, Study 2 confirmed the important role of knowledge in the purchase process of these products. Both objective and subjective knowledge significantly influenced attitude toward purchasing the products.;Hence, taking into account such findings that confirm the important role of social norms and product knowledge, Study 3 examined ways to increase knowledge level and to motivate purchase related to socially responsible products, particularly by testing the effectiveness of information formats and information characteristics which are commonly features of social media. The results demonstrated a significant impact of information format on consumers' cognitive and affective responses and information characteristics (i.e., information quantity and quality) on knowledge enhancement.