Affirming the ethical impulse: Ethical Consumer Conversion Experiences and the need for Social Connectedness

Many consumers articulate a desire to practice some form of ethical consumption, but their behaviour often falls short of this objective. This discrepancy has consistently prompted an ongoing outpouring of research effort. The... [ view full abstract ]

Many consumers articulate a desire to practice some form of ethical consumption, but their behaviour often falls short of this objective. This discrepancy has consistently prompted an ongoing outpouring of research effort. The possible significance of social connectedness, or the lack thereof, with respect to ethical consumption, constitutes a relatively under-explored avenue of research into this question.

This paper therefore explores the link between ethical conversion experience, social connectedness, and the capacity to persist in different forms of ethical consumer behaviour, as a means to provide further insight into the ethical aspiration/ behaviour gap. Exploratory interviews are used to acquire insight into ethical consumer conversion and subsequent (post-conversion) experience. Findings suggest that consumers can often experience social isolation rather than affirmation with respect to ethical consumption. This indicates both that consumer communities may not always form as easily as we might sometimes think, given the prevalent literature on this topic, and suggests that ethical options need to be positioned not just as affordable, but also as affirmers of social connectedness, if ethical conversion is to lead to ongoing ethical commitment.