Abstract:
Leading theories of ethical decision making use behavioral intentions as a direct precursor to behavior, a supposition which contrasts with the attitude-behavior gap that is well documented in the ethical consumerism literature. In this paper we identified four factors that act either as triggers or inhibitors of ethical consumption and intervene between consumers’ attitudes, behavioral intentions and actual behavior. Since the Romanian consumer is anything but typical and little is known about his/her ethical consumption behavior, we addressed this issue by, first, reviewing the existing literature in the field; second, by placing the Romanian consumer into the wider perspective of Hofstede’s work; third, by using focus group discussions in order to understand the ethical purchase gap. We also used age as a demographic characteristic meant to explain factor-related behaviors and intergenerational differences in making ethical decisions. Our research provides a valuable insight into the factors influencing ethical consumption and provides a better understanding of why ethical attitudes in Romania might not result in ethical consumption decisions.
