Choklad smakar godare med ett gott samvete : En kvalitativ studie om hur etiska överväganden påverkar Generation Z i deras köpbeslut

Sammanfattning: Adolescents involvement in societal issues has been found to be able to influence companies.  Simultaneously, a growing interest in today’s consumers has been found to include ethical commitments in their consumption, a trend considered to be driven by young consumers. This can put an immense pressure on companies to take on a greater responsibility in societal issues. Young consumers in the year 2020 are considered to belong to Generation Z, a consumer group described as conscious and driven by topics of social development, predicted to possess future purchasing dominance. Whether or not Generation Z views consumption as a matter of involving ethical considerations could be of great importance to consider in order to attract the highly influential consumer group. The consequences for not taking this into consideration could result in not being able to reach out to the consumer group properly. Research has sought to understand ethical consumption in regards to generational and cultural differences. This study aims to expand the existing research area on ethical consumption in relation to Generation Z by implementing a focus on Swedish consumers within Generation Z. The purpose of this study is to attain a deeper understanding of how Generation Z’s consumption is influenced by ethical considerations. This has been done by including a theoretical background on ethical consumption, the buying decision process as well as Generation Z. Given the background and purpose of this study, it is of interest to examine how Generation Z is influenced by ethical considerations in their purchase decision. Through a qualitative research method and cross-sectional design, focus group interviews were conducted together with individuals within Generation Z. The empirical evidence from the study shows that Generation Z are influenced by ethical considerations, but not to the extent that it is conclusive for their purchase decision. The factors for purchasing an ethical product include regarding the ethical symbol as visually appealing, trusting the ethical labelling, having sufficient knowledge regarding the ethical stance, regarding the ethical stance as in line with their morals and values as well as their perceived price sensitivity for the ethical product.