Bireylerin Sürdürülebilir Tüketim Davranışları: Etkileyen Faktörlerin İncelenmesi
Individuals sustainable consumption behaviors: an examination of influencing factors

Summary/Abstract: Sustainable consumption encompasses a wide range of behaviors, from environmentally friendly product preferences to household and local government water usage habits. Increasing positive attitudes toward sustainable consumption supports the adoption of consumption patterns that are least harmful to nature. Therefore, sustainable consumption and actions based on this understanding should be an approach that should be supported by global policies. It is observed that research examining sustainable consumption purchasing behaviors in Turkish culture and the impact of these behaviors on sustainable consumption is limited. This study aims to analyze individuals' sustainable consumption behaviors and the factors influencing these behaviors, and to offer recommendations for public policies based on the findings. Data for this cross-sectional and descriptive study was collected via an online survey between April 30, 2025, and May 21, 2025. The study was completed with 316 participants who met the inclusion criteria. It was determined that 89.6% of the participants were university graduates, 87.7% were unemployed, 96.2% were single, 73.4% had a monthly income of 0-20,000 TL, and 52.8% lived in a city center. No statistically significant difference was found between the mean scores of environmental awareness, non-essential purchases, savings, and reusability and the gender variable. In the environmental awareness, savings, and reusability sub-dimensions, participants who saved energy and water had significantly higher scores than those who did not, while in the non-essential purchases sub-dimension, participants who saved energy had significantly lower scores than those who did not. Participants who received training on environmental issues had significantly higher mean scores on the sensitivity and reusability sub-dimensions than those who did not. In conclusion, considering that individuals receiving training on environmental issues positively affects their environmental awareness and reusability behaviors, it can be said that it is important to create training programs and organize awareness training programs to develop sustainable consumption and environmentally friendly behaviors. It can be argued that developing public policies that encourage behaviors such as recycling, environmental awareness, and savings, and that raise social awareness, creating awareness programs, and developing reward mechanisms will significantly contribute to sustainability behavior.

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