@article{HuettelBalderjahnHoffmann2020,
  author    = {H{\"u}ttel, Alexandra and Balderjahn, Ingo and Hoffmann, Stefan},
  title     = {Welfare beyond consumption},
  series = {Ecological economics},
  volume    = {176},
  journal   = {Ecological economics},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0921-8009},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106719},
  pages     = {13},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {In developed regions worldwide, so-called anti-consumers are increasingly resisting high-level consumption lifestyles or shifting to alternative forms of consumption. A general reduction in consumption levels is considered necessary to attain global sustainability goals. However, knowledge regarding the factors driving people to deliberately consume less and how anti-consumption affects individuals' well-being is limited. Against this background, this study considers the influence of human values and the well-being effects of two types of anti-consumption: voluntary simplicity and collaborative consumption. Based on representative data from the US (N = 1075) and Germany (N = 1070), the findings show that the two anti-consumption types do not reduce the well-being of individuals' but in some cases, even improve it, which suggests that lowering consumption can not only help protect environmental resources but also serve the greater good of society. In particular, this relationship holds among collaborative consumers with a strong need for cognition, i.e., a cognitive thinking style that involves a high level of decision control. According to the study results, opposite value orientations are the drivers of voluntary simplicity and collaborative consumption (i.e., a focus on self-transcendence versus self-enhancement). These findings are comparable in both countries; however, the strength of the effects differs.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BalderjahnAppenfeller2023,
  author    = {Balderjahn, Ingo and Appenfeller, Dennis},
  title     = {A social marketing approach to voluntary simplicity},
  series = {Sustainability},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Sustainability},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {MDPI},
  address   = {Basel},
  issn      = {2071-1050},
  doi       = {10.3390/su15032302},
  pages     = {17},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Higher eco-efficiency will not be enough to slow global warming caused by climate change. To keep global warming to 2 degrees, people also need to reduce their consumption. At present, however, many who would be able to do so seem unwilling to comply. Given the threats of a runaway climate change, urgent measures are needed to promote less personal consumption. This study, therefore, examines whether social marketing consume-less appeals can be used to encourage consumers to voluntarily abstain from consumption. As part of an online experiment with nearly 2000 randomly sampled users of an online platform for sustainable consumption, we tested the effectiveness of five different "consume-less" appeals based on traditional advertising formats (including emotional, informational, and social claims). The study shows that consume-less appeals are capable of limiting personal desire to buy. However, significant differences in the effectiveness of the appeal formats used in this study were observed. In addition, we found evidence of rebound effects, which leads us to critically evaluate the overall potential of social marketing to promote more resource-conserving lifestyles. While commercial consumer-free appeals have previously been studied (e.g., Patagonia's "Don't Buy This Jacked"), this study on the effectiveness of non-commercial consume-free appeals is novel and provides new insights.},
  language  = {en}
}