Attitudes towards Fairtrade Principles and Environmental Views among the Inhabitants of a Rural Swedish Town
Author(s)
Gunne Grankvist*
ABSTRACT
This paper evaluates associations between values and preference for the Fairtrade concept and compares the ecocentric and anthroprocentric views of Nature. The intention of Fairtrade product labelling is to increase consumers’ awareness of products that have a presumably more positive influence on workers’ lives in developing countries. The ecocentric view assumes that Nature has an intrinsic value and should be preserved regardless of economic implications. The anthropocentric view, on the other hand, assumes Nature has value only because of the material, physical, or other benefits Nature provides humans. All respondents in the study were residents of Gestad, a small town in a sparsely populated area of Sweden. Among the main results of the study was that self-transcendence values (e.g., universalism and benevolence) were positively correlated with a preference for Fairtrade and ecocentrism, and negatively correlated with anthropocentrism. Conservation values (e.g., tradition and conformity) were positively correlated with anthropocentrism, and negatively correlated with a preference for Fairtrade. Another result was that women were more positive than men towards Fairtrade and ecocentrism.
This paper evaluates associations between values and preference for the Fairtrade concept and compares the ecocentric and anthroprocentric views of Nature. The intention of Fairtrade product labelling is to increase consumers’ awareness of products that have a presumably more positive influence on workers’ lives in developing countries. The ecocentric view assumes that Nature has an intrinsic value and should be preserved regardless of economic implications. The anthropocentric view, on the other hand, assumes Nature has value only because of the material, physical, or other benefits Nature provides humans. All respondents in the study were residents of Gestad, a small town in a sparsely populated area of Sweden. Among the main results of the study was that self-transcendence values (e.g., universalism and benevolence) were positively correlated with a preference for Fairtrade and ecocentrism, and negatively correlated with anthropocentrism. Conservation values (e.g., tradition and conformity) were positively correlated with anthropocentrism, and negatively correlated with a preference for Fairtrade. Another result was that women were more positive than men towards Fairtrade and ecocentrism.
Cite this paper
Grankvist, G. (2015) Attitudes towards Fairtrade Principles and Environmental Views among the Inhabitants of a Rural Swedish Town. Psychology, 6, 1661-1667. doi: 10.4236/psych.2015.613162.
Grankvist, G. (2015) Attitudes towards Fairtrade Principles and Environmental Views among the Inhabitants of a Rural Swedish Town. Psychology, 6, 1661-1667. doi: 10.4236/psych.2015.613162.
References
[1] Bjerke, T., & Kaltenborn, B. P. (1999). The Relationship of Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Motives to Attitudes toward Large Carnivores. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19, 415-421.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0135 [2] Brundtland, G., Khalid, M., Agnelli, S., Al-Athel, S., Chidzero, B., Fadika, L., & de Botero, M. M. (1987). Our Common Future (“Brundtland Report”).
http://www.bne-portal.de/fileadmin/unesco/de/Downloads/Hintergrundmaterial_international/Brundtlandbericht.File.pdf?linklisted=2812 [3] Cailleba, P., & Casteran, H. (2011). A Quantitative Study on the Fair Trade Coffee Consumer. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 25, 31-46.
http://cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/JABR/article/view/993/977 [4] Casey, P. J., & Scott, K. (2006). Environmental Concern and Behaviour in an Australian Sample within an Ecocentric-Anthropocentric Framework. Australian Journal of Psychology, 58, 57-67.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049530600730419 [5] Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Routledge Academic. [6] De Devitiis, B., De Luca, A. I., & Maietta, O. W. (2012). Gender Differences in Pro-Social Behaviour: The Case of Fair Trade Food Consumers. Climate Change and Sustainable Development (pp. 355-360). Springer. [7] de Leeuw, A., Valois, P., Morin, A. J., & Schmidt, P. (2014). Gender Differences in Psychosocial Determinants of University Students’ Intentions to Buy Fair Trade Products. Journal of Consumer Policy, 37, 485-505.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10603-014-9262-4 [8] Doran, C. J. (2009). The Role of Personal Values in Fair Trade Consumption. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 549-563.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9724-1 [9] Doran, C. J. (2010). Fair Trade Consumption: In Support of the Out-Group. Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 527-541.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0437-x [10] Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The Psychology of Attitudes. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. [11] Fairtradenet (2015).
http://www.fairtrade.net/ [12] Grankvist, G. (2010). Värderingar och preferens för rättvis handel (fair trade) hos gymnasielever. Forskningsrapport/ Högskolan Väst [Elektronisk].
www.diva-portal.org [13] Grankvist, G. (2013). Consumer Attitudes to Ethically Labelled Products. Rapport Högskolan Väst, 2013:2.
www.diva-portal.org [14] Grankvist, G., & Kajonius, P. (2015). Personality Traits and Values: A Replication with a Swedish Sample. International Journal of Personality Psychology, 1, 8-14.
http://rjh.ub.rug.nl/ [15] Hainmueller, J., Hiscox, M. J., & Sequeira, S. (2014). Consumer Demand for the Fair Trade Label: Evidence from a Multi-Store Field Experiment (March 2014). Review of Economics and Statistics, Forthcoming; Formerly: MIT Political Science Department Research Paper No. 2011-9B.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1801942
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1801942 [16] Hutchens, A. (2009). Changing Big Business: The Globalisation of the Fair Trade Movement. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [17] Kaltenborn, B. P., & Bjerke, T. (2002). Associations between Environmental Value Orientations and Landscape Preferences. Landscape and Urban Planning, 59, 1-11.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(01)00243-2 [18] Kaltenborn, B. P., Andersen, O., Nellemann, C., Bjerke, T., & Thrane, C. (2008). Resident Attitudes towards Mountain Second-Home Tourism Development in Norway: The Effects of Environmental Attitudes. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16, 664-680.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669580802159685 [19] Karpiak, C. P., & Baril, G. L. (2008). Moral Reasoning and Concern for the Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28, 203-208.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.12.001 [20] Ladhari, R., & Tchetgna, N. M. (2015). The Influence of Personal Values on Fair Trade Consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production, 87, 469-477.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.10.068 [21] Lindeman, M., & Verkasalo, M. (2005). Measuring Values with the Short Schwartz’s Value Survey. Journal of Personality Assessment, 85, 170-178.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8502_09 [22] Morrell, K., & Jayawardhena, C. (2010). Fair Trade, Ethical Decision Making and the Narrative of Gender Difference. Business Ethics: A European Review, 19, 393-407.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2010.01598.x [23] Nicholls, A., & Opal, C. (2005). Fair Trade: Market-Driven Ethical Consumption. London: Sage. [24] Nordlund, A. M., & Garvill, J. (2002). Value Structures behind Proenvironmental Behaviour. Environment and Behavior, 34, 740-756.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001391602237244 [25] Pelsmacker, P. D., Janssens, W., Sterckx, E., & Mielants, C. (2006). Fair-Trade Beliefs, Attitudes and Buying Behaviour of Belgian Consumers. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 11, 125-138.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.47 [26] Pepper, M., Jackson, T., & Uzzell, D. (2009). An Examination of the Values That Motivate Socially Conscious and Frugal Consumer Behaviours. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33, 126-136.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00753.x [27] Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. New York: The Free Press. [28] Schultz, P. W., & Zelezny, L. (1999). Values as Predictors of Environmental Attitudes: Evidence for Consistency across 14 Countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19, 255-265.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0129 [29] Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1-65. [30] Schwartz, S. H. (2006). Basic Human Values: An Overview.
http://www.yourmorals.org/schwartz.2006.basic%20human%20values.pdf [31] Schwartz, S. H., & Bardi, A. (2001). Value Hierarchies across Cultures Taking a Similarities Perspective. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32, 268-290.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022101032003002 [32] Schwartz, S. H., & Boehnke, K. (2004). Evaluating the Structure of Human Values with Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 38, 230-255.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00069-2 [33] Tanner, C., & Kast, S. W. (2003). Promoting Sustainable Consumption: Determinants of Green Purchases by Swiss Consumers. Psychology and Marketing, 20, 883-902.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mar.10101 [34] Taylor, J. E., & Boasson, V. (2014). Who Buys Fair Trade and Why (Or Why Not)? A Random Survey of Households. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 48, 418-430.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joca.12025 [35] Thompson, S. C. G., & Barton, M. A. (1994). Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 149-157.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80168-9
[1] Bjerke, T., & Kaltenborn, B. P. (1999). The Relationship of Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Motives to Attitudes toward Large Carnivores. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19, 415-421.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0135 [2] Brundtland, G., Khalid, M., Agnelli, S., Al-Athel, S., Chidzero, B., Fadika, L., & de Botero, M. M. (1987). Our Common Future (“Brundtland Report”).
http://www.bne-portal.de/fileadmin/unesco/de/Downloads/Hintergrundmaterial_international/Brundtlandbericht.File.pdf?linklisted=2812 [3] Cailleba, P., & Casteran, H. (2011). A Quantitative Study on the Fair Trade Coffee Consumer. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 25, 31-46.
http://cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/JABR/article/view/993/977 [4] Casey, P. J., & Scott, K. (2006). Environmental Concern and Behaviour in an Australian Sample within an Ecocentric-Anthropocentric Framework. Australian Journal of Psychology, 58, 57-67.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049530600730419 [5] Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Routledge Academic. [6] De Devitiis, B., De Luca, A. I., & Maietta, O. W. (2012). Gender Differences in Pro-Social Behaviour: The Case of Fair Trade Food Consumers. Climate Change and Sustainable Development (pp. 355-360). Springer. [7] de Leeuw, A., Valois, P., Morin, A. J., & Schmidt, P. (2014). Gender Differences in Psychosocial Determinants of University Students’ Intentions to Buy Fair Trade Products. Journal of Consumer Policy, 37, 485-505.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10603-014-9262-4 [8] Doran, C. J. (2009). The Role of Personal Values in Fair Trade Consumption. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 549-563.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9724-1 [9] Doran, C. J. (2010). Fair Trade Consumption: In Support of the Out-Group. Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 527-541.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0437-x [10] Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The Psychology of Attitudes. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. [11] Fairtradenet (2015).
http://www.fairtrade.net/ [12] Grankvist, G. (2010). Värderingar och preferens för rättvis handel (fair trade) hos gymnasielever. Forskningsrapport/ Högskolan Väst [Elektronisk].
www.diva-portal.org [13] Grankvist, G. (2013). Consumer Attitudes to Ethically Labelled Products. Rapport Högskolan Väst, 2013:2.
www.diva-portal.org [14] Grankvist, G., & Kajonius, P. (2015). Personality Traits and Values: A Replication with a Swedish Sample. International Journal of Personality Psychology, 1, 8-14.
http://rjh.ub.rug.nl/ [15] Hainmueller, J., Hiscox, M. J., & Sequeira, S. (2014). Consumer Demand for the Fair Trade Label: Evidence from a Multi-Store Field Experiment (March 2014). Review of Economics and Statistics, Forthcoming; Formerly: MIT Political Science Department Research Paper No. 2011-9B.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1801942
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1801942 [16] Hutchens, A. (2009). Changing Big Business: The Globalisation of the Fair Trade Movement. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [17] Kaltenborn, B. P., & Bjerke, T. (2002). Associations between Environmental Value Orientations and Landscape Preferences. Landscape and Urban Planning, 59, 1-11.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(01)00243-2 [18] Kaltenborn, B. P., Andersen, O., Nellemann, C., Bjerke, T., & Thrane, C. (2008). Resident Attitudes towards Mountain Second-Home Tourism Development in Norway: The Effects of Environmental Attitudes. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16, 664-680.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669580802159685 [19] Karpiak, C. P., & Baril, G. L. (2008). Moral Reasoning and Concern for the Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28, 203-208.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.12.001 [20] Ladhari, R., & Tchetgna, N. M. (2015). The Influence of Personal Values on Fair Trade Consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production, 87, 469-477.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.10.068 [21] Lindeman, M., & Verkasalo, M. (2005). Measuring Values with the Short Schwartz’s Value Survey. Journal of Personality Assessment, 85, 170-178.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8502_09 [22] Morrell, K., & Jayawardhena, C. (2010). Fair Trade, Ethical Decision Making and the Narrative of Gender Difference. Business Ethics: A European Review, 19, 393-407.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2010.01598.x [23] Nicholls, A., & Opal, C. (2005). Fair Trade: Market-Driven Ethical Consumption. London: Sage. [24] Nordlund, A. M., & Garvill, J. (2002). Value Structures behind Proenvironmental Behaviour. Environment and Behavior, 34, 740-756.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001391602237244 [25] Pelsmacker, P. D., Janssens, W., Sterckx, E., & Mielants, C. (2006). Fair-Trade Beliefs, Attitudes and Buying Behaviour of Belgian Consumers. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 11, 125-138.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.47 [26] Pepper, M., Jackson, T., & Uzzell, D. (2009). An Examination of the Values That Motivate Socially Conscious and Frugal Consumer Behaviours. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33, 126-136.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00753.x [27] Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. New York: The Free Press. [28] Schultz, P. W., & Zelezny, L. (1999). Values as Predictors of Environmental Attitudes: Evidence for Consistency across 14 Countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19, 255-265.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0129 [29] Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1-65. [30] Schwartz, S. H. (2006). Basic Human Values: An Overview.
http://www.yourmorals.org/schwartz.2006.basic%20human%20values.pdf [31] Schwartz, S. H., & Bardi, A. (2001). Value Hierarchies across Cultures Taking a Similarities Perspective. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32, 268-290.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022101032003002 [32] Schwartz, S. H., & Boehnke, K. (2004). Evaluating the Structure of Human Values with Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 38, 230-255.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00069-2 [33] Tanner, C., & Kast, S. W. (2003). Promoting Sustainable Consumption: Determinants of Green Purchases by Swiss Consumers. Psychology and Marketing, 20, 883-902.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mar.10101 [34] Taylor, J. E., & Boasson, V. (2014). Who Buys Fair Trade and Why (Or Why Not)? A Random Survey of Households. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 48, 418-430.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joca.12025 [35] Thompson, S. C. G., & Barton, M. A. (1994). Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 149-157.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80168-9