Abstract
This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, income earners, particularly high-income individuals, are perceived as more moral for making the identical choice. Price is a central component of this effect because equating the cost of ethical and conventional goods provides those receiving government assistance some protection against harsh moral judgments when choosing ethically. Moreover, earning one's income drives perceptions of deservingness, or the right to spend as one desires. Those who receive assistance via taxpayer dollars are under greater scrutiny (frequently resulting in harsher moral judgments) by others. In addition to influencing perceptions of individual consumers, the results demonstrate that such attributions extend to groups who make ethical choices on others' behalf, and that these attributions have real monetary consequences for nonprofit organizations.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | ucv096 |
| Pages (from-to) | 879-896 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Consumer Research |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 19 2016 |
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Keywords
- Attribution theory
- Equity theory
- Ethical consumption
- Income
- Moral psychology
- Poverty
- Prosocial behavior
- Welfare
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Economics and Econometrics
- Marketing
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Anthropology
Cite this
Wealth and welfare : Divergent moral reactions to ethical consumer choices. / Olson, Jenny G.; McFerran, Brent; Ketcham, Andrea; Dahl, Darren W.
In: Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 42, No. 6, ucv096, 19.04.2016, p. 879-896.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wealth and welfare
T2 - Divergent moral reactions to ethical consumer choices
AU - Olson, Jenny G.
AU - McFerran, Brent
AU - Ketcham, Andrea
AU - Dahl, Darren W.
PY - 2016/4/19
Y1 - 2016/4/19
N2 - This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, income earners, particularly high-income individuals, are perceived as more moral for making the identical choice. Price is a central component of this effect because equating the cost of ethical and conventional goods provides those receiving government assistance some protection against harsh moral judgments when choosing ethically. Moreover, earning one's income drives perceptions of deservingness, or the right to spend as one desires. Those who receive assistance via taxpayer dollars are under greater scrutiny (frequently resulting in harsher moral judgments) by others. In addition to influencing perceptions of individual consumers, the results demonstrate that such attributions extend to groups who make ethical choices on others' behalf, and that these attributions have real monetary consequences for nonprofit organizations.
AB - This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, income earners, particularly high-income individuals, are perceived as more moral for making the identical choice. Price is a central component of this effect because equating the cost of ethical and conventional goods provides those receiving government assistance some protection against harsh moral judgments when choosing ethically. Moreover, earning one's income drives perceptions of deservingness, or the right to spend as one desires. Those who receive assistance via taxpayer dollars are under greater scrutiny (frequently resulting in harsher moral judgments) by others. In addition to influencing perceptions of individual consumers, the results demonstrate that such attributions extend to groups who make ethical choices on others' behalf, and that these attributions have real monetary consequences for nonprofit organizations.
KW - Attribution theory
KW - Equity theory
KW - Ethical consumption
KW - Income
KW - Moral psychology
KW - Poverty
KW - Prosocial behavior
KW - Welfare
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84971607461&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84971607461&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jcr/ucv096
DO - 10.1093/jcr/ucv096
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84971607461
VL - 42
SP - 879
EP - 896
JO - Journal of Consumer Research
JF - Journal of Consumer Research
SN - 0093-5301
IS - 6
M1 - ucv096
ER -