Towards sustainable consumption : Understanding the adoption and practice of environmental actions in households

Securing public participation in environmental actions (EAs) such as recycling as a means
of making progress towards sustainable consumption is a central issue in UK
environmental policy. Participation in EAs has typically been studied from the individual
perspective, thereby ignoring the relevance of the social context of the household. This
thesis advances understanding of the adoption and practice of EAs from the household
perspective. A qualitative -research approach is taken, utilising focus groups with 29
households within a constructivist grounded theory methodology.
In terms of theoretical contributions, the unlinked literatures on participation in EAs and
household decision making are integrated in light of the research findings resulting in a
conceptual framework of the adoption and practice of EAs in households which is grounded
in the data. This framework considers EAs in isolation and patterns across EA repertoires
and is applicable to the variety of commonly-promoted EAs and household types and
different levels of engagement in EAs. Elements of the framework include the multiple
units which drive EA adoption and are responsible for EA practice; the situational,
household and individual characteristics which shape these units; the multiple routes to EA
practice and their tentative differentiation in terms of desirability from a policy perspective;
factors facilitating the maintenance of repetitive EAs; types and means of socialisation
influence from a leader to other individuals; from where and how knowledge for action is
acquired and transmitted through the household; and communication within the household
about EAs. Particular empirical contributions include the recognition of the decoupling of
attitudes towards an EA and behaviour as a result of factors pertaining to the social context
of the household; a new understanding of motivation to engage in EAs relating to how a
leader's motivation is established in the first instance and then transferred to other
household members; and the recognition that specialised roles relating to EA adoption and
practice may be taken up gradually.
In terms of methodological contributions, the literatures on focus groups and qualitative
family research are integrated to coin the term 'household focus group'. To produce the
necessary detail, an original interview activity involving the diagrammatic representation of
EA adoption and practice is developed, which is extended into an original means of data
analysis involving detailed visual representations of the processes within the household.