| Abstract [eng] |
Sustainable consumption is becoming increasingly relevant in today's society due to the social and ecological issues caused by overconsumption. However, it can be perceived and promoted according to different principles or philosophies. One of these, minimalism, gained significant interest among consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic when uncertainty prompted people to manage their finances more responsibly and purchase only what was truly necessary (Rojhe & Kohli, 2021). At the same time, consumers also sought to manage their material possessions more responsibly, reducing excess items and maintaining an uncluttered home environment (Sandlin & Wallin, 2022). The growing popularity of consumer minimalism in society has accordingly sparked greater interest in this phenomenon within the academic community, leading to analyses of the concept of consumer minimalism, its influencing factors, and its impact on consumers and their behaviour. There is a noticeable lack of research on consumer minimalism in Western countries, as most of the analyzed studies focus on the Asian region. Furthermore, consumer minimalism is often regarded as a more sustainable approach to consumption, primarily because it manifests in reduced consumption levels, but there is no empirical basis for such assumptions (Blackburn et al., 2024). Considering these gaps in the literature regarding consumer minimalism, the scientific problem of this master's thesis is formulated with the following questions: what are the connections between consumer minimalism and sustainable consumption behaviour, taking into account different types of minimalism? What factors promote the expression of eco-minimalism and aesthetic minimalism? The object of the research is consumer minimalism in the context of sustainable consumption. The aim of the project is to identify the relationship between consumer eco-minimalism and aesthetic minimalism with sustainable consumption behaviour while assessing the factors influencing the expression of different types of minimalism. Key project results. An empirical study of the connections between consumer minimalism and sustainable consumption behaviour was conducted, involving 387 respondents. The analysis of socio-demographic characteristics of the study participants revealed that the majority of them were young women under the age of 29, with higher university education and average monthly income (from 781 to 1500 EUR), so the insights gained from the results analysis mainly apply to this segment. The analysis of the study results revealed that there is empirical support for dividing consumer minimalism into eco-minimalism and aesthetic minimalism. Environmental awareness positively affects consumer minimalism, with a greater impact on eco-minimalism, while modern aesthetics more strongly affect aesthetic minimalists. Resource sharing is the least important factor for both types of consumer minimalism, and normative influence does not have a statistically significant impact on either. There is a strong positive relationship between consumer minimalism and sustainable consumption behaviour. However, the promotion of aesthetic minimalism does not influence an individual's efforts to consume more sustainably, only leading to more sustainable consumption choices, while the promotion of eco-minimalism positively affects sustainable consumption overall. Finally, the results align with prevailing trends in the literature within the socio-demographic context, indicating that an individual's gender and income do not affect the promotion of consumer minimalism, whereas older and higher-educated consumers are more inclined to be minimalists. |
