Consumer Social Responsibility Scale

What it measures

Measures the degree to which consumers consider environmental, social, and economic consequences of their purchase decisions and modify their behaviour accordingly. Consumer socially responsible behaviour encompasses recycling, ethical sourcing preferences, support for socially responsible companies, and reduced consumption. One of the earliest and most widely used consumer social responsibility measures.

Response format

Likert (1–5, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Scale items

• I consider the social consequences of my consumption decisions.
• I try to purchase from companies that are socially responsible.
• I consider the ethical implications of my buying decisions.
• I try to buy products that are not harmful to the environment.
• I actively seek information about companies' social and environmental practices.
• I try to influence others to be more responsible consumers.
• I boycott products from companies that act unethically.
• I try to be a responsible consumer in my everyday life.
• I consider myself a socially conscious consumer.
• I take into account the broader societal impact of my purchasing decisions.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Three subscale scores. Score = mean per dimension. Widely used as a predictor of ethical consumption behaviour and as a moderator of CSR communications effectiveness. Socially responsible consumer behaviour is more common among higher-income, higher-education consumers but the relationship with actual behaviour is moderated by price sensitivity.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Antil, J.H. (1984). Socially responsible consumers: Profile and implications for public policy. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 18(2), 225–252.

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