College Students Attitudes towards Ethical Consumerism - an Indian Perspective

Business ethics and corporate social responsibility have gained more attention in recent years. However, the consumers ’perspective on ethics is still a little researched area. Ethical consumerism is the intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be made ethically. This may mean with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals and/or the natural environment. Ethical consumerism is practiced through 'positive buying' in that ethical products are favored, or by negative purchasing i.e. through boycotting those product which endanger the health of consumer or others; cause significant damage to environment during manufacture, use or disposal; consume a disproportionate amount of energy; cause unnecessary waste; use materials derived from threatened species or environment or involve unnecessary use or cruelty to animals. The present study is an attempt to explore and track attitudes of Indian College students towards ethical consumerism in Indian Perspective. College students represent a large and growing population with considerable disposable income. Businesses are also interested in college students because, as trend setters and early adopters they are believed to influence the purchasing decisions of peers and parents and establish brand loyalties that continue long after college. An empirical survey was conducted for International Marketing students in University of Delhi, India. In all, 210 students took part in the survey. The findings reveal that seventy five percent students described themselves to be ethical consumer to a ‘fair amount’. They considered those companies which are known to be socially responsible. Their main purchase consideration was environment friendly (energy efficient) products and they were willing to pay an extra premium up to five percent on the final price. However, there are not many ethical products available and lack of information is the main hurdles/barriers to pursue ethical choices. In cases, where ethical products are widely available consumers have been able to change their attitudes towards ethical consumption.