Aging, environmental sustainability, and social influence: A multidisciplinary investigation on older consumers’ engagement insustainable behaviors and susceptibility to online market-relatedinformation

Population aging is one of the most significant social transformations characterizing the twenty-first century. In Western countries older people represent a substantial portion of the population, which will increase steadily over the next few decades. Previous research has largely investigated into the psychological characteristics of this consumer segment. Yet little is known on how older consumers behave with respect two relevant phenomena characterizing modern times: the emergence of environmentally sustainable consumption and the ubiquity of market-related information on the Internet, which might increase older consumers’ vulnerability to potential frauds and financial exploitation. Therefore, this proposal sets out to investigate the role of aging in people’s engagement in sustainable consumption practices (Objective n. 1) and their influence ability by market-related information (Objective n. 2). Regarding the first objective, the research will test the prediction of a negative association between aging and consumers’ tendency to engage in sustainable practices. Then, it will examine the psychological mechanisms underlying such older consumers’ reluctance, to understand how to foster the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours. Regarding the second objective, this research will test the prediction of a positive association between aging and consumers’ influenceability by online market-related information; then, it will examine how to make this consumer segment less susceptible to such influences. Methodologically, the research will implement a multitude of research methods. Survey-based methods will be employed to provide preliminary, correlational evidence of the hypothesized relationships, whereas experimental methods will be used to delve deeper into the psychological mechanisms underlying the predicted effects, thus providing more robust evidence. The two units will conduct the research by using a multi-disciplinary approach and working synergically along the three key phases of the implementation process: 1) literature review and conceptualization; 2) empirical studies; 3) results dissemination. This research will contribute to the literature on sustainable consumption practices by delving into the relationship between aging and the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours and the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. This research will also contribute to the literature on social influence by exploring the relationship between aging and consumers’ susceptibility to online market information. From a practical point of view, the findings will carry relevant social and economic implications on how to promote older consumers’ engagement in environmentally sustainable consumption practices and how to reduce their influenceability by market-related information shared on the Internet, thus alleviating the risks of fraud and, more generally, of over relying on messages potentially leading to risky or suboptimal decisions.