Authors

• Autio, Minna (University of Helsinki. Department of Economics and Management)
• Wilska, Terhi-Anna (Turku School of Economics and Business Administration. Department of Marketing)

Keywords

Internet, consumer choices, consumers, consumption, environment, environmental awareness, income, information and communications technology, information society, mobile communication, money, sustainability, youth

Abstract

The study is part of the Sustainable Development and the Information Society -programme (KESTY) of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. It charted the opinions of young people (aged between 16 and 20) on consumption, information society, communications technology and the environmental impacts of consumption. The respondents were also asked about their income and use of money. For example, they were asked how much money they earned themselves and how much they were able to save or spend on leisure activities. Financial support from parents and their influence on the respondents' consumer decisions were probed.

One theme covered mobile phones and information society. The respondents were asked to state how many mobile phones they had had so far and how actively they used their phone and its extra services (e.g. logos, ringtones and call transfers). Views on information technology and the development of information society were charted with a set of attitudinal statements.

Perceptions of the relationship between environment and consumption were investigated. The respondents were asked whether they bought organic, fair trade, eco-label or second-hand products and whether environmental aspects played an important role in their consumer choices and habits. General environmental attitudes were studied with a number of statements. Consumer durables in the respondents' households (e.g. car, digital camera, television, mobile phone) and the use of different chargeable services (movies, trips abroad, concerts, etc.) were examined.

Background variables included respondent's gender, age, location of residence, household composition, total number of siblings and number of siblings living at home, number of household members and father and mother's level of education and occupations.