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Under Which Conditions Are Consumers Ready to Boycott or Buycott? The Roles of Hedonism and Simplicity

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  • Hoffmann, Stefan
  • Balderjahn, Ingo
  • Seegebarth, Barbara
  • Mai, Robert
  • Peyer, Mathias

Abstract

There are two fundamental ways in which consumers can express their concerns and obligations for society through their consumption decisions: They can boycott companies that they deem to be irresponsible or they may deliberately buy from companies that they perceive to act responsibly (‘buycott’). It has been largely ignored that individuals are driven by different motivational mechanisms to join boycotts and buycotts (punishment vs. reward of corporate behaviors), and thus, these mechanisms have disparate implications for the participating individual (e.g., high vs. low subjective costs because of a restriction in consumption habits). This paper fills this void and develops a framework suggesting that the extent to which consumers translate their concerns and obligations for society into a willingness to boycott and/or buycott is bounded by self-interest. Using a unique, representative sample of 1833 German consumers, this study reveals that the effects of environmental concerns and universalism on buycotting are amplified by hedonism, while the effects of social concern on buycotting and boycotting are attenuated by hedonism and simplicity, respectively. These results have far-reaching implications for organizations and policy planners who aim to change corporate behavior.

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  • Hoffmann, Stefan & Balderjahn, Ingo & Seegebarth, Barbara & Mai, Robert & Peyer, Mathias, 2018. "Under Which Conditions Are Consumers Ready to Boycott or Buycott? The Roles of Hedonism and Simplicity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 167-178.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:147:y:2018:i:c:p:167-178
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.01.004
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    2. Jinhua Li & Yongyi Chen & Qiankai Qing, 2021. "Differentiated consumer responses to corporate social responsibility domains moderated by corporate social responsibility perceptions: A Kano model‐based perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1606-1619, November.
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    4. Robert Mai & Stefan Hoffmann & Ingo Balderjahn, 2021. "When drivers become inhibitors of organic consumption: the need for a multistage view," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(6), pages 1151-1174, November.
    5. Grzegorz Zasuwa, 2019. "The Role of Individual- and Contextual-Level Social Capital in Product Boycotting: A Multilevel Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-16, February.
    6. Valor, Carmen & Antonetti, Paolo & Zasuwa, Grzegorz, 2022. "Corporate social irresponsibility and consumer punishment: A systematic review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1218-1233.
    7. T. Krüger & S. Hoffmann & I. Nibat & R. Mai & O. Trendel & H. Görg & W. Lasarov, 2024. "How consumer animosity drives anti-consumption: A multi-country examination of social animosity," Post-Print hal-04680681, HAL.
    8. Jasinenko, Anna & Christandl, Fabian & Meynhardt, Timo, 2020. "Justified by ideology: Why conservatives care less about corporate social irresponsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 290-303.
    9. Krüger, Tinka & Hoffmann, Stefan & Nibat, Ipek N. & Mai, Robert & Trendel, Olivier & Görg, Holger & Lasarov, Wassili, 2024. "How consumer animosity drives anti-consumption: A multi-country examination of social animosity," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 302042, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    10. Siyun Chen & Haiying Wei, 2023. "Linking Temporal Landmarks to Voluntary Simplicity: The Mediating Roles of Self-Transcendence and Self-Enhancement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(4), pages 693-708, December.
    11. Michael David Maffie, 2024. "Politicized shopping in the gig economy: Retaliation and solidarity on the “other side” of the app," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(3), pages 343-367, July.
    12. Olavo Pinto & Beatriz Casais, 2023. "Multilevel implications for anti-consumption social marketing within the public policy framework for SDG realization: a systematic literature review," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 20(3), pages 605-634, September.
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