Theory of Planned Behaviour and consumers: Describing Durban youths’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility in their purchasing decisions using qualitative cross-sectional interviews in 2018

Abstract

Consumers were found to be overlooked in corporate social responsibility (CSR) research, and studies reviewed from countries such as India, Spain, France and others, did not reveal a South African (SA) perspective. This study’s purpose was to describe how young Durban consumers aged 18-25 perceive retailer’ CSR initiatives, and whether this has a role in their purchasing decisions. Using structured personal interviews allowed for questions to be designed according to the research problem using key concepts from the Theory of Planned behaviour. A significant finding was that there is an overall favourable impression towards retailers with CSR. However, CSR is not the primary reason for their purchase decisions in retailers, as other personal interests and preferences are important. This study was relevant because it informed research about youth consumers from a SA perspective to understand whether CSR had a role in their purchasing. It contributed to businesses because SA retailers can use these research findings to improve their operations and consumer-CSR communication. It also contributed to the Communication Field because a commonly applied quantitative Theory of Planned Behaviour is applied qualitatively in this study.