Consumers' Attitude to Fairtrade Considered as Social Innovation (the case of France)

Roger Paul

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The thesis aims to explore the attitudes of young French consumers towards Fairtrade and whether they perceive fair trade as a social innovation. In the thesis, a series of hypotheses entirely related to consumer behavior towards fair trade as a social innovation seeks to shed light on different consumer attitudes according to their gender, social class, and level of knowledge about fair trade. In terms of methodology, the results are mainly based on quantitative methods. Hypothesis testing was carried out based on data collected from a questionnaire administered to 103 students at the Grenoble School of Management. We used Google Forms to collect the responses and SPSS to test the hypotheses. After analysis, the results show that the consumer's level of knowledge about Fair Trade is the most significant factor creating differences in the way they consume and perceive Fair Trade-labeled products. Social background also plays a significant role in the ability of consumers to turn to fair trade products. However, this study suggests that gender, compared to the other two factors, does not influence consumer choice and vision as much.

Keywords

Fairtrade, consumption, social innovation, France, consumer attitude

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 2. 4. 2024

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: prof. PhDr. Michal Lošťák, Ph.D.
• Reader: Jiří Zelený, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Economics and Management

Master programme:
Economics and Management