The transition toward sustainability and the adjustment to climate change should involve the reduction of consumption behavior and the need to maintain social practices of frugality. This paper investigates the influences of consciousness for sustainable consumption (CSC), materialism, and the consideration of future consequences (CFC) on frugal behaviors. Four-hundred-and-forty-four individuals responded to an instrument investigating these variables. Results of a structural model revealed that materialism significantly and negatively influenced the three dimensions of CSC: economic, environmental, and social. The consideration of distant future consequences positively and significantly affected the economic dimension of CSC. Frugal behavior received significant and positive influences from the three CSC dimensions and from consideration of distant future consequences. The model explained 46% of variance in frugal behavior, revealing the importance of awareness of the consequences of resource consumption and the CFC has on promoting a moderate consumption of resources.
The need to reduce consumption is evident, and a way of achieving this is through austerity and frugal practices. The aim of this research was to advance the understanding of frugal behavior and its relation to consumer identities, and to analyze any possible mediating effects of environmental self-identity. In Study 1 (n = 492), the factor structure of the consumer identities scale was tested and three distinct identities were defined: moral, wasteful, and thrifty consumer identities. In Study 2 (n = 500), the influence of consumer identities on frugal behavior was studied and the possible mediating effect of environmental self-identity was analyzed. Environmental self-identity completely mediated the relationship between moral identity and frugal behavior and partially mediated the relationships of both wasteful and thrifty identities with frugal behavior. The model was able to predict 27.6% of the variance of environmental self-identity and 47.9% of the variance of frugal behavior, with a strong influence by the thrifty consumer identity. This emphasizes the economic dimension of frugal consumption patterns and the importance of considering how people view themselves, both as individuals and as consumers, in order to more effectively engage and maintain long-term sustainable frugal actions.
9 January 2013 in RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia
High levels of textile consumption and waste have made the fashion industry one of the most polluting sectors, highlighting the need to understand the factors influencing clothing consumption. This study aims to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure clothing consumption, adapt the Clothing Style Confidence Scale for use in a Spanish-speaking context, and explore explanatory models of sustainable clothing consumption. Using a convenience sample of 500 participants, including psychology undergraduate students from a Spanish public university, data was collected through an online questionnaire. The new instrument includes four dimensions: quantity of consumption, focus on fashion, focus on quality, and product disposal. The Clothing Style Confidence Scale was adapted through confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model examining the influence of consumer identities, environmental self-identity, frugal behavior, and clothing style confidence. The model explained 66% of the variance in clothing consumption, with style confidence and wasteful consumer identity as the strongest predictors.
26 July 2022 in Revista Interamericana de Psicologia = Interamerican Journal of Psychology
During the early outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, a strict home lockdown was maintained in Spain for more than 50 days, disrupting social and economic activities. The aim of this study is to explore affective and well-being responses during the initial period of mandatory home lockdown. Specifically, we analyzed: 1) differences in risk perception according to sociodemographic and health profile; 2) relation between social and environmental characteristics of home isolation, positive and negative affect and meaning in life; and 3) the relationship between activities and behaviors performed by people under lockdown and well-being. A total of 1343 Spanish residents participated in this correlational and cross-sectional study. Results show a significant relationship between health and economic risk perception associated with confinement. Higher health risk perception was identified among the older population and those belonging to high-risk groups. High resilience was linked to lower negative affect and greater positive affect and meaning in life. Regarding social and environmental characteristics of home isolation, people living with others reported greater negative affect than people living alone and the daily frequency of use of open-air spaces was linked to positive affect. Higher positive affect and meaning in life were also reported in people who frequently participated in community activities or by helping others. Lower negative affect was only associated with physical exercise.
The spread of COVID-19 became the main public health risk for most countries in 2020. The Spanish government declared a state of emergency, implemented lockdown measures and imposed severe restrictions on mobility and compulsory home isolation. Given this sudden situation, we tested the levels of risk perception, the psychological impact of isolation conditions and of coping behaviors. A total of 1343 adult residents in Spain participated in the study. We measured with an online questionnaire (a) risk perception; (b) individual, social, and physical conditions of isolation; and (c) a set of coping behaviors. We tested how the conditions of isolation and the individual behavior affected positive and negative affect and meaning in life. We observed that risk perception was directly linked with the individual and social situation of the participants. Personal resilience, employment status, profile of cohabitants, and using open air spaces in the house are linked with the emotional situation of the participants. Additionally, we found that some behaviors were related with positive affect, meaning in life, and negative affect. The psychological impact of a nation-wide lockdown is not universal and there are key factors that moderate this impact. We have identified key personal, behavioral, social, and physical factors that may help policy makers and citizens in critical isolation situations