Beyond Assumptions: What Experts and Consumers Say About Sustainability

Ludovica Serafini () and Alessandro M. Peluso ()
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Ludovica Serafini: University of Salento
Alessandro M. Peluso: University of Salento

Chapter Chapter 3 in Inside the Green Mind, 2026, pp 35-52 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter explores how sustainability is experienced and interpreted in everyday life through an in-depth qualitative study conducted in Italy. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with consumers and experts, the study reveals the emotional, cultural, and structural tensions that shape everyday sustainable decision-making. The findings show that sustainability is often perceived as a journey marked by trade-offs, frustration, and limited agency, rather than a set of clear-cut choices. Informants, in fact, describe strong environmental values coexisting with habits, convenience, and barriers that constrain action. By giving voice to lived experiences, the chapter challenges simplified assumptions about sustainable behaviours and provides rich insights into how people negotiate sustainability in meaningful domains: energy conservation and food consumption.

Keywords: Qualitative study; In-depth interviews; Consumer narratives; Misconceptions; Everyday consumption practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-18596-9_3

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-18596-9_3

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