Publicação
The Influence of Digital Platforms on Consumer Behavior in Adopting Sustainable Practices in a Circular Economy
| Resumo: | Nowadays, digital platforms and virtual/digital communities have become powerful tools to shape consumer behavior. Their ability to influence purchasing decisions, spread sustainable values, and foster collective engagement makes them important to the promotion of circular economy (CE) practices. While the CE emphasizes reducing waste and extending product lifecycles, its success depends largely on consumer willingness to adopt sustainable consumption habits. Given the increasing use of digital environments to promote sustainability, it is necessary to understand the impact of these platforms on individual behavior. This study explores how participation in sustainable digital communities affects consumer’s willingness to pay and recommend circular products, and how perceived environmental responsibility and social value influence these outcomes. The main goal of this thesis is to examine how scenario exposure (sustainable vs. non-sustainable) affects behavioral intentions, and whether these effects are mediated by psychological perceptions. For this, a fictional platform was presented to participants through an experimental design. To achieve the proposed goal, a quantitative method was used. The study collected data through an online questionnaire answered by 95 participants and the statistical analyses included t-tests, linear regressions, and mediation models. |
|---|---|
| Autores principais: | Teixeira, Margarida Ramos |
| Assunto: | Sustainability Circular Economy Digital Platforms Social Value Consumer Behavior SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities SDG 12 - Responsible production and consumption SDG 13 - Climate action SDG 15 - Life on land SDG 17 - Partnerships for the goals |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | Nowadays, digital platforms and virtual/digital communities have become powerful tools to shape consumer behavior. Their ability to influence purchasing decisions, spread sustainable values, and foster collective engagement makes them important to the promotion of circular economy (CE) practices. While the CE emphasizes reducing waste and extending product lifecycles, its success depends largely on consumer willingness to adopt sustainable consumption habits. Given the increasing use of digital environments to promote sustainability, it is necessary to understand the impact of these platforms on individual behavior. This study explores how participation in sustainable digital communities affects consumer’s willingness to pay and recommend circular products, and how perceived environmental responsibility and social value influence these outcomes. The main goal of this thesis is to examine how scenario exposure (sustainable vs. non-sustainable) affects behavioral intentions, and whether these effects are mediated by psychological perceptions. For this, a fictional platform was presented to participants through an experimental design. To achieve the proposed goal, a quantitative method was used. The study collected data through an online questionnaire answered by 95 participants and the statistical analyses included t-tests, linear regressions, and mediation models. |
|---|