Unpacking the influence of consumers' ethical beliefs on three-dimensional ethical consumption behavior: The mediating role of ethical sensitivity

Abstract

In recent years, owing to the fact that people’s living standards have developed significantly, the topic of ethical consumption has gained burgeoning interest from researchers all over the world. However, previous research only provided little information regarding the sophisticated relationship between ethical beliefs (idealism and relativism), ethical sensitivity and ethical consumption behavior. Moreover, only a small number of existing studies were situated in a developing country, where consumers’ attitude towards the term ethical consumption is little known. By utilizing a combination of 2 theories, which are Self-Identity Theory and Hunt-Vitell Theory of Ethics, our study aims to investigate the relationship between idealism, relativism, ethical sensitivity (includes personal ethical sensitivity and interpersonal ethical sensitivity) and ethical consumption behavior (consists of political ethical consumption behavior, environmental ethical consumption behavior, social ethical consumption behavior). This research featured the quantitative method, using an online survey to collect responses from a sample of 416 participants. The collected data was subsequently analyzed using SmartPLS version 4.0 and SPSS version 26.0. The results show that idealism, relativism, and ethical sensitivity are positively related to ethical consumption behavior. Moreover, the relationships between idealism, relativism and ethical consumption behavior are positively mediated by ethical sensitivity. These findings not only contribute greatly to the general understanding of the ethical consumption topic but also provide advisable suggestions for consumers to purchase ethically, particularly in a developing nation like Vietnam. Further information is discussed in the study.