Ethical Consumption and Social Context: Experimental Evidence from Germany and the United States

This research examines the role of social context in ethical consumption, specifically, the extent to which anonymity and social control influence individuals' decisions to purchase organic and Fair Trade coffee. Our research design overcomes biases of prior research by combining framing and discrete choice experiments in a survey. We systematically vary coffee growing method (organic or not), import status (Fair Trade or not), flavor, and price across four social contexts that vary in degree of anonymity and normative social control. The social contexts are buying coffee online, in a large grocery store, in a small neighborhood shop, and for a meeting of a human rights group. Subjects comprise 1,103 German and American undergraduate students. We find that social context indeed influences subjects' ethical consumer decisions, especially in situations with low anonymity and high social control. In addition, gender, coffee buying, and subjective social norms trigger heterogeneity regarding stated ethical consumption and the effects of social context. These results suggest previous research has underestimated the relevance of social context for ethical consumption and overestimated altruistic motives of ethical consumers. Our study demonstrates the great potential of discrete choice experiments for the study of social action and decision making processes in sociology.

Brazil, information for United States businessmen.

Mode of access: Internet.

1977 economic censuses of outlying areas.

Includes earlier editions of some vols.

Language minority, illiteracy, and voting data used in making determinations for the Voting rights act amendments of 1975 (Public law 94-73).

Item 142-C

Petroleum laws of all America /

"Publications relating to mining laws": p. 644-645.

BMB Enterprises Inc. right-of-way request for a hydroelectric generating facility, Deep Creek Mountains, environmental assessment (EA).

Mode of access: Internet.

Mineral industries of Latin America /

"December 1981."

Labor legislation of Ecuador /

"This translation of the labor laws of Ecuador was made under the direction of Ethel Y. Larson, of the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Labor legislation of Paraguay /

"This translation of the labor laws of Paraguay was made under the direction of Ethel Y. Larson, of the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Labor legislation of Venezuela /

"This translation of the labor laws of Venezuela was made under the direction of Ethel Y. Larson, of the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

The growth of Toronto children.

Stamped: Advance sheets.

Field experiences with floating breakwaters in the eastern United States /

In the past 10 years, the use of floating breakwaters as temporary coastal structures has become increasingly widespread in the United States as an inexpensive means for suppressing waves. However, as with any new technology, there have been many failures and a substantial number of imaginative, successful innovations. One of the chief problems contributing to the failure rate has been a lack of awareness by designers of reliable, up-to-date technical information. As part of a large research effort to remedy this problem, a survey was conducted on field experience with floating breakwaters in the Eastern United States. Results of the survey confirmed that state-of-the-art technical literature is not being properly disseminated. Structures built according to early design manuals were shown to have failed before the completion of their design life. Conversely, floating breakwaters built to the standards set by recent research have fared well and show promise of meeting their design golas. The weakest areas of the present technology are flotation and the anchoring systems. It is recommended that a concentrated research effort be directed toward these problem areas; it is also recommended that the monitoring of state-of-the-art projects continue. (Author).

Report on the statistical system of Puerto Rico to the Director of the Budget, Government of Puerto Rico

Mode of access: Internet.

1980 census of population and housing.

Supercedes preliminary counts published with title: 1980 census of population and housing: preliminary population and housing unit counts.

1976 census of Travis County, Texas, April 20, 1976 /

Cover title.