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Purchase and Use of New Technologies among Young People: Guidelines for Sustainable Consumption Education

Author

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  • Genina Calafell

    (Complex Research Group, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, G5-126 Campus UAB-Bellaterra, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
    Rizoma Educació Transferència de Coneixement, spin-off of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Carrer de l’Àngel, 10, 08012 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Neus Banqué

    (Complex Research Group, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, G5-126 Campus UAB-Bellaterra, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
    Rizoma Educació Transferència de Coneixement, spin-off of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Carrer de l’Àngel, 10, 08012 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Salvador Viciana

    (Rizoma Educació Transferència de Coneixement, spin-off of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Carrer de l’Àngel, 10, 08012 Barcelona, Spain
    Catalonia School of Consumer Affairs, Catalan Consumer Agency, Generalitat de Catalunya, Carrer de Pamplona, 113, 08018 Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

Traditional consumer education (CE), aimed at providing information and guidance to young people, has become insufficient to take on the challenges posed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 12. Knowledge of youth’s habits as consumers today and citizens of the future becomes essential for defining the most suitable methodological contents and strategies for effective and sustainable CE. This premise was the inception for our research project on the consumption of young people, focusing on the acquisition, purchase, and use of new technologies. Data were obtained from a sample of 994 young people who participated in activities at the Consumption School of Catalonia and completed a questionnaire. The main results revealed that young people did not include sustainability criteria in their use or purchase of technological devices, especially mobile phones: the replacement rate for mobiles was very high (1, 2, or 3 years) and the most important purchase criteria were price, technical features, and brand. These results highlight the need to propose a new kind of CE that challenges the young to think about and adopt consumption methods adopting a contextual, constructive, and complex perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Genina Calafell & Neus Banqué & Salvador Viciana, 2019. "Purchase and Use of New Technologies among Young People: Guidelines for Sustainable Consumption Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1541-:d:213718
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Rizwan Raheem Ahmed & Faryal Salman & Shahab Alam Malik & Dalia Streimikiene & Riaz Hussain Soomro & Munwar Hussain Pahi, 2020. "Smartphone Use and Academic Performance of University Students: A Mediation and Moderation Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-28, January.
    2. Ewa Jaska & Agnieszka Werenowska & Agata Balińska, 2022. "Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Behaviors of Generation Z in Poland Stimulated by Mobile Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-16, October.
    3. Hsin-Wei Hsu & Chia-Ying Chen & Chia-Wen Wu, 2021. "Cross-Cultural Comparison of Sustainable Agro-Food Consumption from Consumers’ Perspectives: Cases from Taiwan and France," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Cristiana Peano & Valentina Maria Merlino & Francesco Sottile & Danielle Borra & Stefano Massaglia, 2019. "Sustainability for Food Consumers: Which Perception?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-15, October.
    5. F. Ziesemer & A. Hüttel & I. Balderjahn, 2021. "Young People as Drivers or Inhibitors of the Sustainability Movement: The Case of Anti-Consumption," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 427-453, September.
    6. Ualison Rébula de Oliveira & Thaís Stiegert Meireles Gomes & Geovani Gabizo de Oliveira & Júlio Cesar Andrade de Abreu & Murilo Alvarenga Oliveira & Aldara da Silva César & Vicente Aprigliano Fernande, 2022. "Systematic Literature Review on Sustainable Consumption from the Perspective of Companies, People and Public Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-26, October.
    7. Muhammad Noman Malik & Huma Hayat Khan & Abdoulmohammad Gholamzadeh Chofreh & Feybi Ariani Goni & Jiří Jaromír Klemeš & Youseef Alotaibi, 2019. "Investigating Students’ Sustainability Awareness and the Curriculum of Technology Education in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.

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