Socially responsible consumers and stockpiling during crises: the intersection of personal norms and fear
ISSN: 1747-1117
Article publication date: 12 June 2023
Issue publication date: 4 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Urging people to avoid stockpiling was a common declaration made by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, yet empty supermarket shelves and supply shortages of basic products were observed worldwide. This study aims to (a) identify the factors that activate consumer personal norms towards socially responsible behaviours, specifically resisting stockpiling, and (b) examine how fear moderates the link between personal norms and consumer engagement in stockpiling during public crises.
Design/methodology/approach
The study recruited a sample of US consumers who were responsible for household grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 593 individuals participated in the study, and the collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results show that awareness of the negative consequences of stockpiling and a sense of personal responsibility for those consequences activate personal norms towards responsible shopping during public crises. However, perceived fear has the opposite effect, encouraging stockpiling. In addition, fear weakens the negative relationship between personal norms and stockpiling.
Originality/value
This study extends the norm activation model and indicates that personal norms may not always promote responsible behaviours when fear is high. It is unique in that it sheds light on non-mainstream responsible consumption behaviours (e.g. resisting stockpiling), and the interaction between consumption and social responsibility.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors express their gratitude to the Associate Editor and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.
Funding: This work was financed by Portuguese Funds provided by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal – through project UIDB/04020/2020.
Data availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Declarations of interest: The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.
Citation
Elhoushy, S. and Ribeiro, M.A. (2024), "Socially responsible consumers and stockpiling during crises: the intersection of personal norms and fear", Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 180-203. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-01-2023-0011
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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