Evaluating Consumer Preferences for Sustainable Products: A Comparative Study Across Five Countries

Marko Šostar () and Vladimir Ristanović
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Marko Šostar: Faculty of Tourism and Rural Development, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 34000 Pozega, Croatia
Vladimir Ristanović: Institute of European Studies, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

World, 2024, vol. 5, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: In times of global natural changes, environmental pollution, and the harmful impacts of certain products, it is essential to observe consumer behavior regarding preferences for products with sustainable characteristics. This paper evaluates the process of making decisions about the purchase of sustainable products using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), as the most common method of multi-criteria decision-making. The aim of the research is to define the influences that change consumer behavior regarding the purchase of sustainable products. The study was conducted on a sample of 880 respondents in Croatia, Spain, Moldova, Turkey, and Ukraine. The results showed that the quality and composition of products, their origin in bioproduction, and their status as local or healthy products are decisive for the purchase of sustainable products. It was also found that consumers in different countries vary; those in Croatia and Spain have similar criteria and priorities, while those in Moldova, Turkey, and Ukraine differ in certain aspects of their preferences.

Keywords: sustainable products; consumer behavior; green shopping habits; AHP method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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