Sustainable Consumption Patterns of Young Adults in Mexico City

Abstract

Due to a deeper understanding by consumers of the environmental challenge, during the last two decades there has been exponential growth in research on sustainable consumption (SC), especially in developed countries. Most of the studies related to this topic focused on exploring, profiling or modelling the phenomenon have primarily been performed in these regions. However, in emerging markets consumers are concerned about sustainability so research must include them in its scope. Therefore, this research focuses on the young adult population of Mexico City to explore SC behavior patterns and associated segmentation criteria. The study relies on cluster analysis using the K-means method, derived from a quantitative survey of 248 subjects aged 20 to 34 who live in Mexico City. Clusters help to identify five groups of SC patterns, based on four SC key factors: culture, public policies, socio-environmental concern, and sustainable marketing associated with five types of SC: purchase of sustainable products, preference for alternative channels, non-monetary sustainable practices, collaborative consumption and sustainable transportation. The value of this exploratory study involves the provision of new information on characteristics to establish distinct groups of consumers based on SC among young adults in Mexico City.