Sustainable Consumption in Vietnam : An examination of the behavior of young consumers through the Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability Model.

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to contribute to the limited literature on sustainable consumption in Vietnam with a focus on the young urban consumer. Sustainable consumption is an important area to focus on as Vietnam is an emerging economy with a young population where consumption is increasing and where the young and fast-growing labor market underpins their economic prosperity. Vietnam is also emblematic of Asia where young, middle class consumers are changing consumption patterns globally. This qualitative research explores the perceptions among young consumers and local companies in Ho Chi Minh City with regards to sustainable consumption behavior among young consumers. The research questions that guided this field research were; (1) How do young consumers perceive their behavior with regards to sustainable consumption in Vietnam? (2) How do local companies in Vietnam perceive young consumer's behavior with regards to sustainable consumption? The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and used the framework Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity model (MOA-model) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The model was useful to identify and organize the understanding of the participant's perceptions of sustainable consumption in Vietnam. The three components: Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity, enabled answers and illustrated constraints young consumers encounter buying sustainable products. The findings were able to show similarities and differences between the two research group's perceptions. The general perception among the local companies on young consumers' behavior with regards to sustainable consumption, was that they lack sufficient knowledge and interest as well as the market is yet too expensive for them. The findings arrive at the following results; the general perception among the young consumers concentrated around plastic, rather than the actual food consumption. The young consumers in this research perceived the use of plastic around food as the primary concern. Additionally, a general distrust towards companies producing sustainability appeared among young consumers. The different components in the MOA model were able to demonstrate different perceptions with regards to sustainable consumption behavior.