Abstract
Collaborative consumption is proposed as a potential step beyond unsustainable linear consumption patterns toward more sustainable consumption practices. Despite mounting interest in the topic, little is known about the determinants of this consumer behavior. We use an extended theory of planned behavior to examine the relative influence of consumers’ personal norms and the theory’s basic sociopsychological variables attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on collaborative consumption. Moreover, we use this framework to examine consumers’ underlying value and belief structure regarding collaborative consumption. We measure these aspects for 224 consumers in a survey and then assess their self-reported collaborative consumption behavior in a second survey. Our structural model fits the data well. Collaborative consumption is more strongly—through intentions—influenced by personal norms and attitudes than by subjective norms. Personal norms to consume collaboratively are determined by consumers’ altruistic, biospheric, and egoistic value orientations. Cost savings, efficient use of resources, and community with others are found to be consumers’ attitudinal beliefs underlying collaborative consumption. We conclude that collaborative consumption can be pin-pointed neither as a mere form of economic exchange nor as a primarily normative form of sharing resources. Instead, collaborative consumption is determined by economic/egoistic (e.g., cost savings) and normative (e.g., altruistic and biospheric value orientations) motives. Implications for collaborative consumption research, the theory of planned behavior, and practitioners are discussed.
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Notes
However, researchers have also called out rebound effects and overconsumption as potential risks that might dilute or reverse collaborative consumption’s economic, environmental, and social advantages (Thomas 2003, 2011; Robert et al. 2014). Thus, there is not yet a definitive answer to the question of the actual sustainability of collaborative consumption as this ultimately depends on consumers’ actual behavior.
Recent estimates suggest, for example, that revenues generated from several key sectors of the sharing economy generated merely €3.6bn across Europe in 2015 (US$15 in 2014 worldwide), albeit with significant expected growth rates (PwC 2016; DHL 2017) or that in 2015 less than half of the US population had at least some familiarity with the sharing economy (PwC 2015).
Although the value-belief-norm theory suggests the effect of value orientations on personal norms to be mediated by beliefs (i.e., new ecological paradigm, awareness of consequence, ascription of responsibility), we will examine a direct effect on personal norms to maintain parsimony of our model.
Including private car renting, private ride sharing, commercial bike renting, commercial product swapping/borrowing, private food donations, commercial renting of private living space (2x), and private job sharing.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Vignette (Part of Survey I)
Nowadays, many people use products and services in collaboration with others or in communities. Often, these communities and the shared use of products and services are enabled by modern technologies, such as mobile Internet, social networks, and GPS |
Examples of collaborative consumption include the shared use of cars and bikes, swapping clothes, and renting living or working space |
Collaborative consumption in this survey is defined as: |
To acquire a resource (e.g., a car, a bike, clothes, living or working space, a skill, or anything you want) from someone by … |
… renting it or |
… borrowing it or |
… swapping it or |
… accepting it as a gift or donation or |
… buying it used |
This is in contrast to exclusively buying a new resource for private use |
Appendix 2: Survey I
Variable | Itema |
---|---|
Intention | I intend to consume collaboratively within the next month (Extremely unlikely/likely; INT1) |
I plan to consume collaboratively within the next month (Strongly disagree/agree; INT2) | |
I will try to consume collaboratively within the next month (Definitely false/true; INT3) | |
Attitude | For me consuming collaboratively within the next month would be … |
… (Harmful/beneficial; ATT1) | |
… (Bad/good; ATT2) | |
… (Worthless/valuable; ATT3) | |
… (Unpleasant/pleasant; ATT4) | |
… (Dull/exciting; ATT5) | |
… (Unenjoyable/enjoyable; ATT6) | |
Subjective norm | Most people who are important to me think that I … (Should not/should consume collaboratively within the next month; SN1) |
The people in my life whose opinion I value would … (Disapprove/approve of consuming collaboratively within the next month; SN2) | |
Most people who are important to me consume collaboratively (Completely false/true; SN3) | |
Many people like me consume collaboratively (Strongly disagree/agree; SN4) | |
PBC | If I wanted to, I could consume collaboratively within the next month (Definitely false/true; PBC1) |
For me consuming collaboratively within the next month would be … (Impossible/possible; PBC2) | |
How much control do you have over consuming collaboratively within the next month (No control/full control; PBC3) | |
Personal norm | How strongly do you feel a personal obligation to consume collaboratively within the next month (Strongly not obliged/strongly obliged; PN1) |
I expect from myself to consume collaboratively within the next month (Absolutely false/true; PN2) | |
Personally, I have a moral obligation to consume collaboratively within the next month (Strongly disagree/agree; PN3) | |
Altruistic value orientation | How important or unimportant is equality (equal opportunity for all) as a guiding principle in your life (opposed to my values/of supreme importance) |
… helpful (working for the welfare of others) | |
… social justice (correcting injustice, care for the weak) | |
… a world at peace (free of war and conflict) | |
Biospheric value orientation | … unity with nature (fitting into nature) |
… protecting the environment (preserving nature) | |
… respecting earth (harmony with other species) | |
Egoistic value orientation | … successful (achieving goals) |
… wealth (material possessions, money) | |
… authority (the right to lead or command) | |
Variable | Itema |
Consuming collaboratively within the next month … | |
Cost savings | … would lead to cost savings (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Cost savings for me are … (Bad/good) | |
Environmental protection | … would lead to environmental protection (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Environmental protection for me is … (Bad/good) | |
Dependency on others’ behavior | … would lead to dependency on others’ behavior (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Dependency on others’ behavior for me is … (Bad/good) | |
Efficient use of resources | … would lead to efficient use of resources (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Efficient use of resources for me is … (Bad/good) | |
Community with others | … would lead to community with others (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Community with others for me is … (Bad/good) | |
In the coming month, I expect … | |
Ease of use | … to experience ease of use of collaborative c. (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Ease of use would make it … (Much more difficult/much more easy) | |
Availability of products and services | … to have availability of products and services (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Availability of products and services would make it … (Much more difficult/much more easy) | |
Internet access | … to have Internet access (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Internet access would make it … (Much more difficult/much more easy) | |
High geographic density | … to experience high geographic density of collaborative consumption options (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
High geographic density of collaborative consumption options would make it … (Much more difficult/much more easy) | |
Transparent information about collaborative offerings | … to have transparent information about collaborative offerings (Extremely unlikely/likely) |
Transparent information about collaborative offerings would make it … (Much more difficult/much more easy) | |
Age | Please state the year of your birth |
Gender | Please state your gender (Female/male) |
Income | Please state your monthly net income (<500/500–999/1000–1999/2000–2999/3000–3999/4000–4999/≥ 5000/n/a) |
Size of hometown | Where are you living (metropolis, >1 mil./large town, >100,000/medium town, 20,000–100,000/small town, 5000–20,000/rural, <5000 inhabitants) |
Appendix 3: Survey II
Variable | Itema |
---|---|
Collaborative consumption | Please estimate how many times in the last 4 weeks you generally acquired something through collaborative consumption (Never/daily) |
Collaborative consumption (provision) | Please estimate how many times in the last 4 weeks you generally provided something through collaborative consumption (Never/daily) |
How many times have you particularly consumed something collaboratively in the last 4 weeks by … | |
Renting | … renting something (Never/daily) |
Borrowing | … borrowing something (Never/daily) |
Swapping | … swapping something (Never/daily) |
Accepting gift or donation | … accepting a gift or donation (Never/daily) |
Buying used | … buying something used (Never/daily) |
Resources | If you have consumed something collaboratively in the last 4 weeks by (prototypical behavior), what was it primarily (Car, bicycle, living space, office space, clothing/accessory, food, skill, book, DVD, tool, toy, sport equipment, camera, other) |
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Roos, D., Hahn, R. Understanding Collaborative Consumption: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior with Value-Based Personal Norms. J Bus Ethics 158, 679–697 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3675-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3675-3