Field Report - Consumer Survey: Report D3.1.1.1

The present report outlines the purpose, scope, and methodology of a recently conducted four-country consumer survey that explored sustainable clothing consumption. The report also presents a sample of the descriptive findings from the survey (see Gwozdz, Nielsen & Müller, 2017 for further results). The consumer survey was conducted in four countries (Germany, Poland, Sweden, and United States) with approximately 1,000 respondents per country. The purpose of the survey was to explore consumption and psychological differences across markets and cultures. The collected data represents the empirical foundation for upcoming deliverables relating to quality of life, acceptance of new business models, and consumer policy recommendations. The results presented in the report relate, specifically, to consumers’ general clothing consumption patterns, acceptance of new business models, and environmental clothing consumption. One of the main results of the descriptive analyses was that the average consumer across all four countries purchased 5.74 clothing items worth €153.79 over a three-month period. Interestingly, country differences were observed in relation to consumption volume, spending, preferred purchasing outlets, and acceptance of new business models. Polish and American consumers purchased the most clothing items. Polish consumers also reported the lowest expenditures on clothing, whereas German consumers reported the highest expenditures. Only a limited proportion of consumers had previously used alternative business models and a general support for new and alternative business model was not observed. The descriptive findings provide an interesting starting point for further explorations in the upcoming deliverables.