Developing a Measure of Socially Responsible Consumption in France

Abstract

The very definition of consumption means to consume, waste, squander, or destroy. However, consumption need not be synonymous with environmental destruction and the squandering of natural resources. Socially responsible consumption (SRC) can promote social and/or environmental causes consumers deem important. The primary objective of the present study is to develop a scale designed to measure SRC in France. Through the scale development process we attempt to identify whether French consumers share the same ecological and social concerns with their US counterparts as [@R35]; [@R36] work might suggest, or is their SRC more idiosyncratic in nature. Our scale building process led to a five-factor SRC scale. It appears that French consumers do exhibit social and environmental concerns, but ones that differ somewhat from those exhibited by US consumers. The factors generated from our scale building process focused on corporate responsibility, country of origin preferences, shopping at local or small businesses, purchasing cause-related products, and reducing one’s consumption. Implications of the present study’s findings and directions for future research are discussed.