Social and psychological characteristics of consumers choosing different ways for getting rid of old things
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54359/ps.v19i105.2048Abstract
The study of ways of disposing of old possessions is a relevant topic in modern society, where the accumulation of material objects and consumer behavior play a significant role. The aim of this study was to identify socio-psychological characteristics associated with consumers’ choices of different ways of disposing of possessions at the end of their use cycle. The study involved 167 respondents. The following instruments were used: the Scale of Financial Anxiety of Personality (T. V. Drobysheva, V. A. Sadov), the Sovereignty of Things scale from the Psychological Space Sovereignty Questionnaire (S. K. Nartova-Bochaver), the Environmental Responsibility scale from V. I. Panov’s Environmental Consciousness Questionnaire, the short version of Schwartz’s value orientations questionnaire (TIVI, Ten-Item Values Inventory) [Sandy et al., 2016], and an author-developed questionnaire assessing ways of disposing of old possessions. The following disposal methods were examined: discarding, storing, selling, giving to specific individuals, donating to charity, repairing, and recycling. Old possessions were also categorized into several groups (clothing, footwear, electronics, jewelry/accessories, and hobby-related items). The results showed that the choice of disposal method is associated with financial anxiety, level of environmental responsibility, degree of attachment to possessions, value orientations, gender, age, level of education, place of residence (urban vs. house/apartment living), and the availability of additional storage space. The findings may contribute to the development of more effective disposal programs that consider differences in the needs and characteristics of various population groups, thereby increasing the overall effectiveness of old item disposal practices.
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